The Life of Harry Potter Open to Everyone
by daydreamer1227
Summary: Reposted! Reading a book. Simple as that. And yet, not so simple at all. Watch as lies and secrets come to light. Revenge is plotted, love is realized, and even more problems arise. Can it get any more dangerous than this?
1. Trying Again

A/N: I'm going to try this one more time. If it doesn't work, I'll post it somewhere else. Readers, I am pleased to inform you that The Life of Harry Potter Open to Everyone is back!


	2. The Books

As she walked down the corridor on the seventh floor, beside herself with fury, Umbridge was glaring at nothing in particular. In her fist, she was clutching a copy of a rubbish paper called the Quibbler. She grinded her teeth in anger; how _dare_ that boy be spreading his filthy lies publically! She had thought that after quite a few detentions with her blood quill, he would have given up and abandoned his lies, but now! In fact, far from discouraging him, she thought it might have even _encouraged_ him! She began pacing the deserted corridor, walking back and forth, trying to think of a way to discredit him. What she really needed, she thought, was access to the truth. She needed a full proof way for everyone to find out what a nasty little lying attention seeking brat he was. She needed-

A door suddenly appeared on the wall next to her as she passed the same spot for the third time. Mouth hanging open, she stared at the door in shock. She was sure the door hadn't been there a moment ago. Had she, perhaps, discovered some long lost Hogwarts secret? She opened the door, only to feel immense disappointment. It was only a small cupboard, most likely for storage. It was nearly empty, accept for a pile of dusty books in the corner. Long lost Hogwarts secret indeed, she scoffed, turning away; when suddenly the title of the top book seemed to flash, as if trying to get her attention. Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone.

Ever so slowly, Umbridge approached the pile of books. Looking closer, her lips curved up into a nasty grin as she examined the seven books. This was _exactly_ the type of thing she had been looking for. It was as if the room had appeared just for her... it was as if it was created for the purpose of serving her.

Tossing the Quibbler to the floor, she picked up the books with a quick flick of her wand, smiling cruelly to herself. The brat Potter was going to get what was coming to him.

"Surely you don't mean to let her go through with this, Headmaster!" Professor McGonagall looked furious.

"I'm afraid," said Dumbledore, "That I have no say in the matter."

"But-But-" McGonagall spluttered, "But Potter! At least say he doesn't have to hear it! He's been through too much already; would you be so cruel as to force him to live through it again?!"

Dumbledore lowered his head sadly and nodded. "I couldn't agree with you more... however, Dolores has ordered that _everyone_ be in the Great Hall at eight o' clock tomorrow morning. I have a feeling she won't show Harry any kindness whatsoever. She will glory at the pain this will put him through, and she would sooner marry a muggle than spare him this agony."

"But Headmaster, he doesn't even know what she is planning! What a horrible thing to wake up to, hearing that books of your life we're going to be read aloud to the entire school! At least warn him, let him prepare himself mentally, let him seek comfort from his friends!"

Dumbledore shook his head. "Dolores made it quite clear that nobody at Hogwarts but the staff should know… but," he said, before the Gryffindor head of house could protest, "I think we could help, perhaps, by bringing in a few people who would support Harry." He lifted his head, and Minerva was surprised to see that his eyes were moist. "If you would, Minerva, send an owl to a few of Potter's close friends."

"The Weasleys, and Lupin definitely," she said, trying to name the people she knew cared about Harry very much. "Tonks and Mad Eye…"

"And Sirius." said Dumbledore.

"Do be reasonable, Dumbledore," she said, "You know Black can't come to Hogwarts; not with all those Ministry workers Dolores invited."

"I think," he said politely, "That Sirius may be one of the only people who will truly be able to help Harry cope with this. I know Sirius would most definitely not want to miss this… he should be safe if he agrees to come in his animagus form, at least until the books prove him innocent."

McGonagall nodded, slightly reluctantly, being worried for Black's safety. "I'll see to it that those owls are sent, Headmaster."

"Harry? Harry! HARRY!"

Harry Potter sat bolt upright in his bed up in Gryffindor Tower. He was sweating profusely, and shaking uncontrollably.

"Are you okay, mate?" Ronald Weasley, Harry's best friend, stood next to his bed in his plaid pajamas looking very worried.

Harry shuddered and wiped some sweat off his face. "Yeah," he said, his voice trembling slightly, "I'm fine, Ron."

Ron gave him a look that clearly said he didn't believe him. "Rubbish." he stated.

Harry sighed and lowered his head back onto the pillow. "Nightmare." he whispered.

Ron didn't ask any more questions, for which Harry was grateful. He had visited the graveyard again… and he didn't want to dwell on it. "What time is it?" he asked, trying to get off the subject.

"It's nearly eight, "Ron said, looking worriedly at his friend.

"I'm fine," Harry said again, "Really."

After getting dressed, Harry and Ron met Hermione in the nearly empty Common Room.

"Harry, you look awful!" she said the moment she saw his pale face.

Harry just shrugged. "So what do you reckon old Toadface wants?" he asked, yawning.

"Better not be another decree, "Ron said darkly, "Or I swear I'll strangle her!"

"Ron!" Hermione reprimanded.

"You're right Hermione, sorry!" he lowered his voice so only Harry could hear. "Only 'cause Ol' Toadface deserves worse than that."

Harry stifled a snigger at that.

"C'mon Harry, Ron, or we'll be late!" said Hermione, ushering them out of the portrait hole. "I wouldn't put it past Umbridge to give you another detention just for not arriving on time."

Harry clenched his fist absently, so that the words 'I must not tell lies' were clearly visible. The last thing he needed was another detention.

The Great Hall was nearly full by the time the three Gryffindors arrived. It buzzed with excited chatter as everyone was wondering why the meeting was called.

"That's Dad's boss!" said Ron, pointing at none other than Cornelius Fudge, the Minister of Magic himself. Hermione slapped his hand, muttering something under her breath about 'being rude'. Fudge was sitting next to Umbridge, both looking suspiciously happy about something. Harry knew, whatever had put Toadface in such a good mood, couldn't possibly be good. Harry was about to point this out to Ron when he noticed that his best friend was scowling. Following Ron's glare, Harry saw Percy Weasley, Ron's older and rather pompous brother. As Harry seated himself at the Gryffindor table, he wasn't surprised that Ron's three siblings that still attended Hogwarts, Fred, George, and Ginny, were all scowling at their older brother as well, who had just taken a seat next to the Minister.

"Look at that old git," Fred muttered under his breath, looking at Percy.

"He's sitting by the king of gits," George added.

"Oh shut up!" snapped Ginny.

"Fred and George have a point, Ginny, Percy is a git." said Ron helpfully.

"Why is the Minister here?" asked Harry.

"Beats me," said Ron, whose eyes hadn't yet left his brother and couldn't seemingly care less.

"Hem, hem!" Dolores cleared her throat none too quietly.

Harry saw some of the teachers, sitting up at their usual seats, clench their jaws. Obviously, whatever was going on, they didn't like it.

The students of Hogwarts, all of which now knew how vile Umbridge could get, were silent immediately.

As she opened her mouth to speak, however, the doors to the Great Hall burst open, and in stepped-

"Professor Lupin!" several students cheered for their old Defense Against the Dark Arts teacher.

Lupin, followed by Mr. and Mrs. Weasley, Bill and Charley, Tonks, Mad Eye Moody and-

"Sirius…" Harry muttered under his breath as he saw the great black dog following Lupin on his heels.

Moody went and took a seat by Dumbledore, but everyone else came and sat themselves at the Gryffindor table. "Wotcher, Harry!" Tonks winked, whose hair was a violent shade of orange.

Sirius ran straight to Harry, barking happily. Harry grinned and ruffled the dog's hair, who barked again, before sitting down and resting his head on Harry's knee.

Umbridge looked like she was about to start yelling, but Dumbledore cut her off, making quite a few people smile. "These people are here on _my_ orders, Dolores." Dumbledore said pleasantly. "And I assure you, the dog is very well trained."

Sirius chose that moment to bark, making a few students laugh.

"Silence!" snapped Umbridge.

"Now, now, Dolores, they're only children." Said a woman Harry hadn't noticed before. He recognized her as the aunt of a Hufflepuff student Susan Bones, and also as a Ministry official who had attended his hearing that summer.

"Now," said Umbridge in her sickeningly sweet voice that often made Harry want to puke, "I've called you all here today so that you may all finally know the truth."

Harry felt a strong sense of foreboding. His stomach flipped uncomfortably, though he wasn't completely sure why.

"I have here," she said, smiling sweetly, "A few books that will be read aloud about a certain student here at Hogwarts over the next week. "

The feeling in Harry's stomach seemed to double. Surely this didn't mean what he thought it did. Surely Dumbledore wouldn't allow this to happen.

"I am talking, of course, about Mr. Harry Potter."

"NO!" Harry was on his feet, staring daggers at Umbridge. "YOU CAN'T DO THAT!" he yelled in outrage.

"I think you'll find that I can." she said sweetly. "You see, I have the whole of the Ministry on my side."

Harry turned to the doors of the Great Hall. He wasn't going to stand for this; he was leaving.

"Stop right there, Mister Potter!" cried Umbridge.

Harry kept walking. He was going not going to relive that night… in the graveyard… he could not bear to see Cedric die again, to hear about it in detail… to hear his own guilty thoughts; he already had enough of that in his sleep.

The doors in front of Harry magically swung shut. He tried the handle, but the door wouldn't budge. He turned and glared at Umbridge with such intensity and hate, her smile faltered.

"Return to your seat, Mister Potter." she said calmly.

"Let me out." he said quietly.

"No. You _will_ sit down now."

"Let. Me. Out." he was shaking with rage.

"ENOUGH!" she shouted.

"Harry…" it was Lupin. "Come sit down. Please." He didn't want Harry getting in trouble with the Ministry again.

Harry didn't move.

Ginny stood up and walked to Harry. Taking his hand, she calmly led him back to the table. As he sat down, his body slumped as it recognized defeat and his anger evaporated. He looked down at his hands, avoiding anyone's gaze.

_This isn't fair,_ thought Hermione; _He's the last person that deserves this._ Seeing him sitting there like that, looking like all life had left him, it made her want to cry.

"We will start reading after breakfast." said Umbridge, looking triumphant.

At that moment, the tables filled with delicious looking food. Harry didn't touch any of it.

"You should eat, Harry." Mrs. Weasley said kindly.

Harry shook his head, but he didn't look up. "Not hungry." he mumbled.

"No wonder you're a scrawny git," Fred said, trying to cheer Harry up.

"You don't eat anything!" finished George.

It didn't work.

"Oh, come on Harry," said Ron. "It's not all bad. I mean, now everyone will know you've been telling the truth!"

Sirius barked.

"Yeah; Sirius will be proved innocent too!" said Hermione.

This made Harry smile. He ruffled the black dog's hair, and Sirius barked again.

"Hem, hem!" Umbridge coughed, after the food had disappeared. "We will start now. The first book is called 'Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone'.

Snape sneered; he really didn't want to hear about the spoiled and pampered life of the famous Mister Potter.

"Chapter one," started Umbridge in her sickeningly sweet voice, "The Boy Who Lived."

"Hey, that's you!" shouted the twins in mock surprise while pointing at Harry.

Harry sighed. This was going to be a long week.


	3. The Boy Who Lived

**Disclaimer: I do not own Harry Potter, J.K. Rowling does**

**The Boy Who Lived.**

**Mr. and Mrs. Dursley,**

Harry groaned. Why did the Dursleys have to be in the book? Why couldn't it just start with him at school? Harry hoped it wouldn't have too much of his home life, that was the last thing he wanted to hear about now. Not to mention, if Sirius found out how awful the Dursleys were to him, well… Harry didn't want his godfather to be chucked in Azkaban again.

**of number four, Privet Drive, were proud to say that they were perfectly normal, thank you very much.**

"Pish posh!" cried George. "Who wants to be normal?"

"Yeah; where's the fun in that?" cried Fred.

**They were the last people you'd expect to be involved in anything strange or mysterious, because they just didn't hold with such nonsense.**

Hermione narrowed her eyes at Harry, starting to get a terrible feeling rising in her chest.

**Mr. Dursley was the director of a firm called Grunnings, which made drills. He was a big, beefy man with hardly any neck, although he did have a very large moustache.** **Mrs. Dursley was thin and blonde and had nearly twice the usual amount of neck, which came in very useful as she spent so much of her time craning over garden fences, spying on the neighbors.**

"Aaaahhh!" George sighed romantically, batting his eyelids.

"The perfect couple!" sighed Fred, causing Harry to snicker.

**The Dursleys had a small son called Dudley and in their opinion there was no finer boy anywhere.**

Harry gave a snort of laughter, making quite a few people look at him funny.

**The Dursleys had everything they wanted, but they also had a secret, and their greatest fear was that somebody would discover it.** **They didn't think they could bear it if anyone found out about the Potters.**

"There's nothing wrong with the Potters!" cried most of Gryffindor table.

**Mrs. Potter was Mrs. Dursley's sister, but they hadn't met for several years; in fact, Mrs. Dursley pretended she didn't have a sister,**

Snape sneered, _of course. Petunia was always jealous of Lily._

**because her sister and her good-for-nothing husband were as unDursleyish as it was possible to be.**

Sirius began to grow worried too. How many times had he told Harry that he reminded him of James? If the Dursleys hated James… how do they treat Harry?

**The Dursleys shuddered to think what the neighbors would say if the Potters arrived in the street.**

"I thought you lived with them?" said a small Gryffindor, very quietly.

"I do." said Harry simply.

"But… I thought the book just said they didn't like the Potters…?"

"They don't." Harry replied indifferently.

This caused the few other people who heard to frown.

**The Dursleys knew that the Potters had a small son, too, but they had never even seen him. This boy was another good reason for keeping the Potters away; they didn't want Dudley mixing with a child like that.**

"A child like what?" asked Ron, seeming personally insulted.

**When Mr. and Mrs. Dursley woke up on the dull, gray Tuesday our story starts, there was nothing about the cloudy sky outside to suggest that strange and mysterious things would soon be happening all over the country. Mr. Dursley hummed as he picked out his most boring tie for work,** **and Mrs. Dursley gossiped away happily as she wrestled a screaming Dudley into his high chair.**

McGonagall frowned, _what an awful child. _

**None of them noticed a large, tawny owl flutter past the window.**

"But what about your mail?" asked a pureblood first year.

"Muggles don't get mail from owls." said Hermione.

The first year frowned. "Then how do the get it?"

"People bring it to them, and stick it in their box."

Malfoy laughed, "Idiots! They're wasting time!"

**At half past eight, Mr. Dursley picked up his briefcase, pecked Mrs. Dursley on the cheek, and tried to kiss Dudley good-bye but missed, because Dudley was now having a tantrum and throwing his cereal at the walls.**

Mrs. Weasley's face clearly showed that if any of her children had ever tried anything of the sort, they wouldn't get away with it.

"**Little tyke," chortled Mr. Dursley**

"Don't encourage him!" cried Mrs. Weasley.

**as he left the house. He got into his car and backed out of number four's drive.**

**It was on the corner of the street that he noticed the first sign of something peculiar — a cat reading a map.**

The twins grinned and looked at their Transfiguration professor. "Professor," they both said with wiggling eyebrows that made Harry and Ron laugh. "Is that you?" they asked.

She answered them only with a mysterious smile.

**For a second, Mr. Dursley didn't realize what he had seen — then he jerked his head around to look again. There was a tabby cat standing on the corner of Privet Drive, but there wasn't a map in sight. What could he have been thinking of?**

**It must have been a trick of the light.**

"Idiot." Malfoy muttered.

**Mr. Dursley blinked and stared at the cat. It stared back. As Mr. Dursley drove around the corner and up the road, he watched the cat in his mirror. It was now reading the sign that said Privet Drive — no, _looking _at the sign; cats couldn't read maps _or _signs.**

"Unless you're a cat named Professor McGonagall!" cried the twins.

"Weasleys, I assure you, my first name isn't 'Professor'." she said.

They frowned while they thought about it. "Oh yeah!" they said in realization, while rubbing their chins as if in deep thought.

**Mr. Dursley gave himself a little shake and put the cat out of his mind. As he drove toward town he thought of nothing except a large order of drills he was hoping to get that day.**

**But on the edge of town, drills were driven out of his mind by something else. As he sat in the usual morning traffic jam, he couldn't help noticing that there seemed to be a lot of strangely dressed people about. People in cloaks.**

"Well that's not strange!" shouted a pureblood Slytherin.

"To muggles it is." explained the Muggle Studies teacher.

**Mr. Dursley couldn't bear people who dressed in funny clothes — the getups you saw on young people! He supposed this was some stupid new fashion. He drummed his fingers on the steering wheel and his eyes fell on a huddle of these weirdos standing quite close by. They were whispering excitedly together.**

**Mr. Dursley was enraged to see that a couple of them weren't young at all; why, that man had to be older than he was, and wearing an emerald-green cloak! The nerve of him!**

"Oh, the nerve!" cried Fred.

"What are they thinking?!" cried his twin.

"Shut up!" Ginny groaned.

**But then it struck Mr. Dursley that this was probably some silly stunt —these people were obviously collecting for something… yes, that would be it.**

Malfoy snorted, "Not very smart, these muggles." he said.

"As much as I hate to admit it, I agree with you, Malfoy." said Harry in complete seriousness.

**The traffic moved on and a few minutes later, Mr. Dursley arrived in the Grunnings parking lot, his mind back on drills.**

"You've got to hand it to him," said Fred, "Being that boring must take some skill."

"How can anyone have such a boring mind?" said George.

**Mr. Dursley always sat with his back to the window in his office on the ninth floor. If he hadn't, he might have found it harder to concentrate on drills that morning. _He _didn't see the owls swooping past in broad daylight, though people down in the street did; they pointed and gazed open-mouthed as owl after owl sped overhead. Most of them had never seen an owl even at nighttime.**

"They've never seen an _owl?_"

**Mr. Dursley, however, had a perfectly normal, owl-free morning. He yelled at five different people. **

"Pleasant fellow." muttered George.

**He made several important telephone calls and shouted a bit more. **

"A real charmer." said Fred.

**He was in a very good mood until lunchtime, when he thought he'd stretch his legs and walk across the road**

"What?!" Harry suddenly cried, causing several people to jump. "Did you read that correctly, Professor?"

People were giving him weird looks.

"Yes, Potter," said Umbridge, "Now be quiet!" she snapped.

**to buy himself a bun from the bakers opposite.**

"Ah," said Harry, smiling, "Now _that_ I can believe."

Ginny giggled, earning a glare from Cho that nobody noticed.

**He'd forgotten all about the people in cloaks until he passed a group of them next to the baker's. He eyed them angrily as he passed. He didn't know why, but they made him uneasy. This lot were whispering excitedly, too, and he couldn't see a single collecting tin. It was on his way back past them, clutching a large doughnut in a bag, that he caught a few words of what they were saying.**

"**The Potters, that's right, that's what I heard –"**

" — **yes, their son, Harry – "**

The teachers all paled as they finally realized what day this must be.

**Mr. Dursley stopped dead.**

"If only." muttered Harry under his breath. Unfortunately, Hermione heard him, so he got a quick slap on the back of his head. "Blimey, Hermione!"

"You shouldn't wish death on anybody!" said Hermione.

"I'm sure you'll feel differently after we read a bit more!" he retorted, a bit crossly.

Hermione was too shocked by his answer to argue any further. They couldn't be that bad… could they? She was starting to get the feeling that Harry had left out major details whenever he spoke about his home life; but now that she thought about it, she couldn't remember ever _really_ talking about it. It had come up, but Harry always managed to change the subject. Hermione frowned. She realized that the Dursleys must be a lot worse than Harry let on.

On Harry's other side, Ron was thinking the exact same thing.

**Fear flooded him. He looked back at the whisperers as if he wanted to say something to them, but thought better of it.**

**He dashed back across the road, hurried up to his office, snapped at his secretary not to disturb him, seized his telephone, and had almost finished dialing his home number when he changed his mind. He put the receiver back down and stroked his moustache, thinking… no, he was being stupid**.

"Ha!" Harry barked out a laugh. "He got that right, didn't he?"

**Potter wasn't such an unusual name. He was sure there were lots of people called Potter who had a son called Harry. Come to think of it, he wasn't even sure his nephew _was _called Harry. He'd never even seen the boy. It might have been Harvey. Or Harold.**

"He doesn't know your name?!" cried Lupin in shock.

"He does too!" said Fred, in mock outrage.

"Yeah, you heard him!" said George.

"His name is Harvey!" they said together.

Harry groaned. He had a feeling the twins had just decided on a nickname for him.

**There was no point in worrying Mrs. Dursley; she always got so upset at any mention of her sister. He didn't blame her — if _he'd _had a sister like that…**

Snape was glaring at the book, unnoticed by all but Dumbledore.

**but all the same, those people in cloaks…**

**He found it a lot harder to concentrate on drills that afternoon and when he left the building at five o'clock, he was still so worried that he walked straight into someone just outside the door.**

Harry frowned. "Poor bloke." he said, completely serious. "He didn't get injured, did he?"

"**Sorry,"**

Harry's mouth dropped open, to the amusement of many others. "Did he _really_ just say that?"

"Be quiet, Harvey!" snapped Fred.

"Yeah!" said George, irritably, "We're trying to listen to the story!"

Harry just rolled his eyes.

**he grunted, as the tiny old man stumbled and almost fell.**

"Is he dead?" asked Harry.

**It was a few seconds before Mr. Dursley realized that the man was wearing a violet cloak. He didn't seem at all upset at being almost knocked to the ground. On the contrary, his face split into a wide smile and he said in a squeaky voice that made passersby stare, "Don't be sorry, my dear sir, for nothing could upset me today! Rejoice, for You-Know-Who has gone at last!**

Now the students knew what day it was, and they looked at Harry sadly.

**Even Muggles like yourself should be celebrating, this happy, happy day!"**

"They need to be more careful!" said Poppy to Minerva. "They're being completely careless!"

**And the old man hugged Mr. Dursley around the middle and walked off.**

"He must have some long arms." said Harry.

**Mr. Dursley stood rooted to the spot. He had been hugged by a complete stranger. He also thought he had been called a Muggle, whatever that was. He was rattled. He hurried to his car and set off for home, hoping he was imagining things, which he had never hoped before, because he didn't approve of imagination.**

Hermione looked at Harry strangely.

"What?" he asked, self conscious.

"How do you have such a… vivid imagination if they didn't approve of it?"

He shrugged. "I am nothing like my Uncle." he said sternly.

**As he pulled into the driveway of number four, the first thing he saw—and it didn't improve his mood — was the tabby cat he'd spotted that morning.**

Fred and George wiggled their eyebrows at McGonagall again, who looked like she was trying desperately to hold back a smile.

**It was now sitting on his garden wall. He was sure it was the same one; it had the same markings around its eyes.**

"**Shoo!" said Mr. Dursley loudly.**

**The cat didn't move. It just gave him a stern look.**

"Definitely McGonagall!" the twins snorted.

**Was this normal cat behavior,** **Mr. Dursley wondered. Trying to pull himself together, he let himself into the house. He was still determined not to mention anything to his wife.**

**Mrs. Dursley had had a nice, normal day. She told him over dinner all about Mrs. Next Door's problems with her daughter and how Dudley had learned a new word! ("Won't!").**

"That isn't something to be proud of!" cried Mrs. Weasley.

**Mr. Dursley tried to act normally. When Dudley had been put to bed, he went into the living room in time to catch the last report on the evening news:**

"_**And finally, bird-watchers everywhere have reported that the nation's owls have been behaving very unusually today. Although owls normally hunt at night and are hardly ever seen in daylight, there have been hundreds of sightings of these birds flying in every direction since sunrise. Experts are unable to explain why the owls have suddenly changed their sleeping pattern." The news reader allowed himself a grin. "Most mysterious. And now, over to Jim McGuffin with the weather. Going to be any more showers of owls tonight, Jim?"**_

"_**Well, Ted," said the weatherman, "I don't know about that, but it's not only the owls that have been acting oddly today. Viewers as far apart as Kent, Yorkshire, and Dundee have been phoning in to tell me that instead of the rain I promised yesterday, they've had a downpour of shooting stars! Perhaps people have been celebrating Bonfire Night early — it's not until next week, folks! But I can promise a wet night tonight."**_

**Mr. Dursley sat frozen in his armchair. Shooting stars all over Britain? Owls flying by daylight? Mysterious people in cloaks all over the place? And a whisper, a whisper about the Potters…**

"You mean he actually put all that together?" Harry asked, impressed.

"SILENCE!" cried Umbridge. "How are we ever going to finish these books if I keep getting interrupted.

"Yeah, Harvey, be quiet!" said the twins, winking.

**Mrs. Dursley came into the living room carrying two cups of tea. It was no good. He'd have to say something to her. He cleared his throat nervously. **

"**Er — Petunia, dear — you haven't heard from your sister lately, have you?"**

**As he had expected, Mrs. Dursley looked shocked and angry. After all, they normally pretended she didn't have a sister.**

"**No," she said sharply. "Why?"**

"Oooh, what a charming woman!" said Ginny sarcastically.

"**Funny stuff on the news," Mr. Dursley mumbled. "Owls… shooting stars… and there were a lot of funny-looking people in town today…"**

"_**So?**_**" snapped Mrs. Dursley.**

"**Well, I just thought… maybe… it was something to do with… you know… **_**her **_**crowd."**

There was a raging outbreak at this.

"Her crowd? _Her crowd?_"

"What is that suppose to mean!?"

"I swear… these muggles…"

**Mrs. Dursley sipped her tea through pursed lips. Mr. Dursley wondered whether he dared tell her he'd heard the name "Potter." He decided he didn't dare. Instead he said, as casually as he could, "Their son — he'd be about Dudley's age now, wouldn't he?"**

"**I suppose so," said Mrs. Dursley stiffly.**

"**What's his name again? Howard, isn't it?"**

"No!" cried the twins in mock astonishment. "It's Harvey!"

"**Harry. Nasty, common name, if you ask me."**

"**Oh, yes," said Mr. Dursley, his heart sinking horribly. "Yes, I quite agree."**

"Well I don't!" snapped Ginny. "Harry is a lovely name." she blushed when everyone looked at her.

**He didn't say another word on the subject as they went upstairs to bed. While Mrs. Dursley was in the bathroom, Mr. Dursley crept to the bedroom window and peered down into the front garden. The cat was still there.** **It was staring down Privet Drive as though it were waiting for something.**

McGonagall huffed, glaring at Dumbledore. She had certainly waited a long time.

**Was he imagining things? Could all this have anything to do with the Potters? If it did… if it got out that they were related to a pair of — well, he didn't think he could bear it.**

There were many grumbles throughout the Hall. With every sentence read, they liked the Dursleys less and less.

**The Dursleys got into bed. Mrs. Dursley fell asleep quickly but Mr. Dursley lay awake, turning it all over in his mind. His last, comforting thought before he fell asleep was that even if the Potters _were _involved, there was no reason for them to come near him and Mrs. Dursley. The Potters knew very well what he and Petunia thought about them and their kind… He couldn't see how he and Petunia could get mixed up in anything that might be going on — he yawned and turned over — it couldn't affect _them_…**

**How very wrong he was.**

"For the first and last time in my life," said Harry quietly, "I wish he was right."

This comment was not missed by the staff, who exchanged nervous glances.

**Mr. Dursley might have been drifting into an uneasy sleep, but the cat on the wall outside was showing no sign of sleepiness.**

Fred scoffed. "McGonagall doesn't sleep!"

She raised her eyebrows at this. "I assure you, Mr. Weasley, I do sleep. I _am_ human you know."

George slapped his brother on the shoulder. "Everyone needs sleep, Freddie." he said.

"I know!" said George, rather crossly. "It's just… it's weird to think about… I mean, a sleeping McGonagall is like a young Dumbledore! I can't comprehend it."

The Headmaster chuckled.

**It was sitting as still as a statue, its eyes fixed unblinkingly on the far corner of Privet Drive. It didn't so much as quiver when a car door slammed on the next street, nor when two owls swooped overhead. In fact, it was nearly midnight before the cat moved at all.**

"Professor," said the twins, about to make some clever remark, but were cut off by Umbridge, the old hag.

"ENOUGH OF THIS! BOTH OF YOU BE SILENT OR ELSE I WILL BE FORCED TO-

"To _what_, may I ask?" asked McGonagall dangerously. As much as she yelled at the twins, they were two of her favorite students, not that she would ever tell them this; she didn't want their big heads to inflate any more than they already were.

Umbridge seemed to wilt under her glare before returning to read.

**A man appeared on the corner the cat had been watching, appeared so suddenly and silently you'd have thought he'd just popped out of the ground. The cat's tail twitched and its eyes narrowed.**

The twins opened their mouths, but thought better of it when glared at them.

**Nothing like this man had ever been seen on Privet Drive. He was tall, thin, and very old, judging by the silver of his hair and beard, which were both long enough to tuck into his belt. **

"What's Dumbledore doing there?" asked a small first year.

**He was wearing long robes, a purple cloak that swept the ground, and high-heeled, buckled boots. His blue eyes were light, bright, and sparkling behind half-moon spectacles and his nose was very long and crooked, as though it had been broken at least twice. **

"I wonder how that happened," said Fred to his brother.

"Let's ask-

But George was interrupted by their mother who had, unfortunately, overheard. "You will do no such thing!" she snapped.

The twins lowered their heads.

**This man's name was Albus Dumbledore.**

A few of the students cheered.

**Albus Dumbledore didn't seem to realize that he had just arrived in a street where everything from his name to his boots was unwelcome.**

Dumbledore smiled. "Oh I knew perfectly well… I didn't really care though."

Harry cracked a smile. Angry as he was at Dumbledore for avoiding contact with him all year so far, he couldn't hate the man who was like a grandfather to him.

**He was busy rummaging in his cloak, looking for something. But he did seem to realize he was being watched, because he looked up suddenly at the cat, which was still staring at him from the other end of the street. For some reason, the sight of the cat seemed to amuse him. **

"Amusing was it, that I sat there on that wall all day?" asked McGonagall coldly.

"Hah!" the twins cried in triumph. "It _was_ you!"

She gave them one of her rare smiles, making Umbridge grumble under her breath.

**He chuckled and muttered, "I should have known."**

**He found what he was looking for in his inside pocket. It seemed to be a silver cigarette lighter. He flicked it open, held it up in the air, and clicked it. The nearest street lamp went out with a little pop.**

"Oooh, what's that Professor?" asked a Hufflepuff second year.

"A spectacular device of my own making!" said Dumbledore quite cheerfully.

"Wow, Professor, how did you-

"Hem hem!"

**He clicked it again — the next lamp flickered into darkness. Twelve times he clicked the Put-Outer,**

Dumbledore chuckled at the name, ignoring the glares from Umbridge and the Minister; he found the name quite amusing. "It's called a Deluminator." he said smartly.

**until the only lights left on the whole street were two tiny pinpricks in the distance, which were the eyes of the cat watching him. If anyone looked out of their window now, even beady-eyed Mrs. Dursley, they wouldn't be able to see anything that was happening down on the pavement. Dumbledore slipped the Put-Outer back inside his cloak and set off down the street toward number four, where he sat down on the wall next to the cat. He didn't look at it, but after a moment he spoke to it.**

"Imagine if that _wasn't_ McGonagall," said Fred.

"I reckon he'd feel like a right idio-

"George!" reprimanded Mrs. Weasley.

"**Fancy seeing you here, Professor McGonagall."**

"Woo!" cheered the twins.

**He turned to smile at the tabby, but it had gone. Instead he was smiling at a rather severe-looking woman who was wearing square glasses exactly the shape of the markings the cat had had around its eyes. She, too, was wearing a cloak, an emerald one. Her black hair was drawn into a tight bun. **

The twins chuckled admiringly. "Oh, Professor!" they said.

**She looked distinctly ruffled.**

The twins' smiles vanished. McGonagall was a master at keeping her composure. Anything that made her look 'ruffled' couldn't be good.

"**How did you know it was me?" she asked.**

"Psh!" cried George.

"Even we knew it was you, Professor!" said Fred.

"**My dear Professor, I've never seen a cat sit so stiffly."**

A few laughed at this.

"**You'd be stiff if you'd been sitting on a brick wall all day," said Professor McGonagall.**

"How ever did you manage it?" asked Poppy.

She shrugged. "It was necessary."

"**All day? When you could have been celebrating? I must have passed a dozen feasts and parties on my way here."**

**Professor McGonagall sniffed angrily.**

"Uh-oh." muttered the twins.

"**Oh yes, everyone's celebrating, all right," she said impatiently. "You'd think they'd be a bit more careful, but no — even the Muggles have noticed something's going on. It was on their news." She jerked her head back at the Dursleys' dark living-room window. "I heard it. Flocks of owls… shooting stars… Well, they're not completely stupid. **

Harry laughed, quite loudly.

"Mr. Potter." said Umbridge in her sweet voice. He inwardly groaned. "If you make one more noise to interrupt the reading, I am afraid I am going to have to give you a detention."

Harry opened his mouth in outrage, ready to protest, but it was Hermione who spoke. "But he's hardly said anything at all!" she said, glaring.

"Ten points from Gryffindor, for your cheek Miss Granger!" snapped Umbridge.

"Dolores, there will be no points taken and no detentions given to anybody throughout the reading." said Dumbledore very sternly.

Harry looked to Hermione and mouthed 'Thanks' gratefully. She nodded, smiling. _Harry really is one of the nicest people I know_, she thought. Then frowned, _and he doesn't deserve any of this._

**They were bound to notice something. Shooting stars down in Kent — I'll bet that was Dedalus Diggle. He never had much sense."**

"**You can't blame them," said Dumbledore gently. "We've had precious little to celebrate for eleven years."**

"You got that right." grumbled Mr. Weasley under his breath.

"**I know that," said Professor McGonagall irritably. "But that's no reason to lose our heads. People are being downright careless, out on the streets in broad daylight, not even dressed in Muggle clothes, swapping rumors."**

"The muggles were too stupid to notice though," said Malfoy, "So it really wasn't an issue."

**She threw a sharp, sideways glance at Dumbledore here, as though hoping he was going to tell her something, but he didn't, so she went on. "A fine thing it would be if, on the very day You-Know-Who seems to have disappeared at last, the Muggles found out about us all. I suppose he really _has _gone, Dumbledore?"**

"YES!" screamed Umbridge. "HE IS GONE!"

Harry, feeling he might as well take advantage of this 'no losing points and no detention' period, said to her in a taunting tone. "No he's not!"

"DETEN…!" she frowned. She couldn't give the boy a detention!

"These books will prove I'm right, you know," he said, the taunting tone gone now. "Then, finally, I won't have to deal with any more of the Daily Prophet's rubbish in trying to discredit me!"

A few students seemed uncertain. Potter certainly didn't sound as though he were mad… could he be, they gulped, telling the _truth_?

"**It certainly seems so," said Dumbledore. "We have much to be thankful for. Would you care for a lemon drop?"**

"A what?" asked Ron.

"**A **_**what**_**?"**

The twins sniggered.

"**A lemon drop. They're a kind of Muggle sweet I'm rather fond of."**

Arthur Weasley looked excited.

"**No, thank you," said Professor McGonagall coldly, as though she didn't think this was the moment for lemon drops.**

"Too right it wasn't." she said.

"Professor!" called Fred.

"You do know-" added George

"That you're talking to a book?" they finished together.

McGonagall flushed.

"**As I say, even if You-Know-Who **_**has **_**gone —"**

"Which he _has_." said Umbridge, staring straight at Harry. He just shrugged. He wasn't going to bother anymore. The books would prove she was wrong, and he just didn't feel like fighting anymore. Umbridge looked slightly disappointed that Harry hadn't argued with her. Even though she couldn't give punishments, she could at least make him miserable; but now, even that wasn't working.

"**My dear Professor, surely a sensible person like yourself can call him by his name? All this 'You-Know-Who' nonsense — for eleven years I have been trying to persuade people to call him by his proper name: **_**Voldemort**_**."**

The entire Great Hall seemed to flinch.

"Oh _come on_ people!" said Harry, irritated. "It's just a name!"

"Well said Harry." said Lupin, smiling. Sirius barked and Harry ruffled his hair.

**Professor McGonagall flinched, but Dumbledore, who was unsticking two lemon drops, seemed not to notice. "It all gets so confusing if we keep saying 'You-Know-Who.' I have never seen any reason to be frightened of saying Voldemort's name."**

"Well said Dumbledore." said Lupin again.

"**I know you haven't," said Professor McGonagall, sounding half exasperated, half admiring. "But you're different. Everyone knows you're the only one You-Know- oh, all right, **_**Voldemort**_**, was frightened of."**

"Yes!" cried the twins. "She said the name!"

"A feat your dear brother has yet to achieve." said Harry, smirking at Ron. "He still can't stand hearing Voldemort."

"Hey!" he said, but smiled anyway. Nobody could get mad at Harry. Well… fourth year… he shuddered; he regretted that more than any other moment in his life.

Harry, who thought he was shuddering at the name, frowned, "Don't take offence, mate, I didn't mean-

Ron shook his head, chuckling. "It's not you." he said quietly.

Harry looked confused, but Ron didn't bother to elaborate. _What will mum say when she finds out I ditched Harry in fourth year?_

"**You flatter me," said Dumbledore calmly. "Voldemort had powers I will never have."**

"**Only because you're too — well —**_**noble **_**to use them."**

"**It's lucky it's dark. I haven't blushed so much since Madam Pomfrey told me she liked my new earmuffs."**

The entire Hall snickered, and Dumbledore looked quite proud, while Madam Pomfrey blushed a color worthy of Weasley hair.

**Professor McGonagall shot a sharp look at Dumbledore and said "The owls are nothing next to the _rumors _that are flying around. You know what they're saying? About why he's disappeared? About what finally stopped him?"**

Harry looked down.

**It seemed that Professor McGonagall had reached the point she was most anxious to discuss, the real reason she had been waiting on a cold, hard wall all day, for neither as a cat nor as a woman had she fixed Dumbledore with such a piercing stare as she did now. It was plain that whatever "everyone" was saying, she was not going to believe it until Dumbledore told her it was true.**

"You got that right." she muttered.

**Dumbledore, however, was choosing another lemon drop and did not answer.**

A few people, like Malfoy and some Slytherins, rolled their eyes.

"**What they're **_**saying**_**," she pressed on, "is that last night Voldemort turned up in Godric's Hollow. He went to find the Potters. The rumor is that Lily and James Potter are — are — that they're — **_**dead**_**."**

Harry stiffened, and Hermione grabbed his hand. Ron patted him on the back. Sirius whined loudly, and Lupin's eyes looked oddly shiny.

**Dumbledore bowed his head. Professor McGonagall gasped.**

"**Lily and James… I can't believe it… I didn't want to believe it… Oh, Albus…"**

McGonagall shook her head. "I still can't believe it…" she muttered. Madam Pomfrey comforted her; she knew how hard it had been for McGonagall when she lost her star student.

**Dumbledore reached out and patted her on the shoulder. "I know… I know…" he said heavily.**

**Professor McGonagall's voice trembled as she went on. "That's not all. They're saying he tried to kill the Potter's son, Harry.**

Sirius wasn't whimpering anymore, he was growling, and barring his teeth. "Sirius," said Harry quietly, so only those closest to him could hear. "I'm fine. I'm right here."

**But he couldn't. He couldn't kill that little boy. No one knows why, or how, but they're saying that when he couldn't kill Harry Potter, Voldemort's power somehow broke — and that's why he's gone."**

Harry could feel the eyes of everyone in the Great Hall on him, but he kept his head down, looking at nobody but Sirius.

**Dumbledore nodded glumly.**

"**It's — it's **_**true**_**?" faltered Professor McGonagall. "After all he's done… all the people he's killed… he couldn't kill a little boy?**

**It's just astounding… of all the things to stop him… but how in the name of heaven did Harry survive?"**

"I think we'd all like to know that!" said Fudge.

"**We can only guess." said Dumbledore. "We may never know."**

"Your guesses are generally pretty good." said Harry quietly.

**Professor McGonagall pulled out a lace handkerchief and dabbed at her eyes beneath her spectacles. Dumbledore gave a great sniff as he took a golden watch from his pocket and examined it. It was a very odd watch. It had twelve hands but no numbers; instead, little planets were moving around the edge.**

**It must have made sense to Dumbledore, though, because he put it back in his pocket and said, "Hagrid's late. I suppose it was he who told you I'd be here, by the way?"**

Hagrid paled. He hadn't _meant_ to be late…

"**Yes," said Professor McGonagall. "And I don't suppose you're going to tell me **_**why **_**you're here, of all places?"**

"**I've come to bring Harry to his aunt and uncle. They're the only family he has left now."**

"WHAT?!" shouted the people who didn't know where Harry lived (Most of the Hall).

"**You don't mean – you **_**can't **_**mean the people who live **_**here**_**?"**

"But they're awful!" cried a Ravenclaw.

**cried Professor McGonagall, jumping to her feet and pointing at number four. **

"**Dumbledore — you can't. **

"Please listen to her Professor!" groaned Harry.

The twins didn't bother to tell Harry that he was talking to a book. He looked much too upset.

**I've been watching them all day. You couldn't find two people who are less like us. And they've got this son — I saw him kicking his mother all the way up the street, screaming for sweets. Harry Potter come and live here!"**

"**It's the best place for him," **

Harry laughed humorlessly. Maybe that will be another good thing to come out of reading these books. Maybe Dumbledore would see how bad the Dursleys were to Harry, and finally agree to let him live somewhere else! Maybe the Burrow… or at Grimould Place with Sirius.

People looked nervously at Harry. _How bad were these people?_

**said Dumbledore firmly. "His aunt and uncle will be able to explain everything to him when he's older. I've written them a letter."**

"Honestly Dumbledore!" cried Mrs. Weasley. "Do you really think a letter could explain everything?"

"It doesn't matter." said Harry tonelessly. "I never got it anyway."

"You never- but how-" Mrs. Weasley looked furious.

"**A letter?" repeated Professor McGonagall faintly, sitting back down on the wall. "Really, Dumbledore, you think you can explain all this in a letter?**

"See, Minerva agrees with me!" cried Mrs. Weasley.

**These people will never understand him! He'll be famous — a legend — I wouldn't be surprised if today was known as Harry Potter day in the future**

Harry groaned rather loudly. "Please tell me it's not!"

Dumbledore managed a small smile. "No, it's not."

"Thank Merlin!" he cried.

Lots of people were looking at him curiously, especially Malfoy and Snape.

**- there will be books written about Harry — every child in our world will know his name!"**

"Stupid books." Harry said quietly.

"**Exactly." said Dumbledore, looking very seriously over the top of his half-moon glasses. "It would be enough to turn any boy's head. Famous before he can walk and talk! Famous for something he won't even remember! Can you see how much better off he'll be, growing up away from all that until he's ready to take it?"**

"I understand your logic there, Dumbledore, but why couldn't he do that somewhere else?" asked Lupin.

**Professor McGonagall opened her mouth, changed her mind, swallowed, and then said, "Yes — yes, you're right, of course. But how is the boy getting here, Dumbledore?" She eyed his cloak suddenly as though she thought he might be hiding Harry underneath it.**

Fred and George chuckled.

"**Hagrid's bringing him."**

"**You think it —**_**wise **_**— to trust Hagrid with something as important as this?"**

"I would trust Hagrid with my life." said Harry firmly and loudly. He was pleased to see Umbridge's eyes nearly bulge out of her head. Hagrid beamed.

"**I would trust Hagrid with my life," said Dumbledore.**

Harry smiled at Dumbledore, who smiled yet carefully avoided his gaze. Harry sighed, he had nearly forgotten that Dumbledore wasn't making contact with him.

"**I'm not saying his heart isn't in the right place," said Professor McGonagall grudgingly, "but you can't pretend he's not careless. He does tend to — what was that?"**

"What is it?!" cried Mrs. Weasley, worried.

**A low rumbling sound had broken the silence around them. It grew steadily louder as they looked up and down the street for some sign of a headlight; it swelled to a roar as they both looked up at the sky — and a huge motorcycle fell out of the air and landed on the road in front of them.**

Sirius barked and wagged his tail. Harry smiled at his Godfather.

**If the motorcycle was huge, it was nothing to the man sitting astride it.**

**He was almost twice as tall as a normal man and at least five times as wide. He looked simply too big to be allowed, and so _wild _— long tangles of bushy black hair and beard hid most of his face, he had hands the size of trash can lids, and his feet in their leather boots were like baby dolphins. In his vast, muscular arms he was holding a bundle of blankets.**

"Sounds about right." said Ron, smiling broadly.

"**Hagrid," said Dumbledore, sounding relieved. "At last. And where did you get that motorcycle?"**

"**Borrowed it, Professor Dumbledore, sir," said the giant, climbing carefully off the motorcycle as he spoke. "Young Sirius Black lent it to me. I've got him, sir."**

Sirius was now running in circles, chasing his tail, barking happily. Harry, Ron, and Hermione laughed, it was good to see Sirius at ease like this.

"**No problems, were there?"**

"**No, sir — house was almost destroyed, but I got him out all right before the Muggles started swarmin' around. He fell asleep as we was flyin' over Bristol."**

"Aww!" the girls cooed. Harry felt himself go red.

**Dumbledore and Professor McGonagall bent forward over the bundle of blankets. Inside, just visible, was a baby boy, fast asleep.**

Ron chuckled, earning a punch from Harry.

**Under a tuft of jet-black hair over his forehead they could see a curiously shaped cut, like a bolt of lightning.**

Harry frowned. That scar was nothing but painful.

"**Is that where —?" whispered Professor McGonagall.**

"**Yes," said Dumbledore. "He'll have that scar forever."**

"**Couldn't you do something about it, Dumbledore?"**

Harry sat up straighter. "Could you?" he asked hopefully.

"**Even if I could, I wouldn't.**

"Oh…" said Harry, looking thoroughly disappointed.

**Scars can come in handy.** **I have one myself above my left knee that is a perfect map of the London Underground.**

People stared. "Are you being serious?" asked one of the teachers. Sirius barked, and Harry had to stifle a laugh.

**Well — give him here, Hagrid — we'd better get this over with."**

**Dumbledore took Harry in his arms and turned toward the Dursleys' house.**

"**Could I — could I say good-bye to him, sir?" asked Hagrid. He bent his great, shaggy head over Harry and gave him what must have been a very scratchy, whiskery kiss. Then, suddenly, Hagrid let out a howl like a wounded dog.**

Harry smiled at Hagrid, who beamed back. Umbridge, noticing their friendliness, scoffed. _Filthy half-breed. _

"**Shhh!" hissed Professor McGonagall, "You'll wake the Muggles!"**

Harry shuddered, thinking only of his Aunt and Uncle. Ron and Hermione exchanged worried looks.

"**S-s-sorry," sobbed Hagrid, taking out a large, spotted handkerchief and burying his face in it. "But I c-c-can't stand it —Lily an' James dead — an' poor little Harry off ter live with Muggles —"**

"**Yes, yes, it's all very sad, but get a grip on yourself, Hagrid, or we'll be found," Professor McGonagall whispered, patting Hagrid gingerly on the arm** **as Dumbledore stepped over the low garden wall and walked to the front door. He laid Harry gently on the doorstep, took a letter out of his cloak, tucked it inside Harry's blankets, and then came back to the other two.**

"Please tell me I heard that wrong!" said Mrs. Weasley faintly. "You left him on THE DOORSTEP?!"

"It's fine, Mrs. Weasley, really, I-

"It is NOT fine, Harry, it was October, you could have frozen!"

Lupin frowned. "And Death Eaters were still at large."

This did not help improve Mrs. Weasley's mood.

**For a full minute the three of them stood and looked at the little bundle; Hagrid's shoulders shook, Professor McGonagall blinked furiously, and the twinkling light that usually shone from Dumbledore's eyes seemed to have gone out.**

The entire Great Hall shuddered as one.

"**Well," said Dumbledore finally, "that's that. We've no business staying here. We may as well go and join the celebrations."**

"**Yeah," said Hagrid in a very muffled voice, "I best get this bike away. G'night, Professor McGonagall — Professor Dumbledore, sir."**

**Wiping his streaming eyes on his jacket sleeve, Hagrid swung himself onto the motorcycle and kicked the engine into life; with a roar it rose into the air and off into the night.**

"**I shall see you soon, I expect, Professor McGonagall," said Dumbledore, nodding to her. Professor McGonagall blew her nose in reply.**

The twins' jaws dropped. Professor McGonagall… _crying_? It just couldn't be… it was even crazier than the absurd notion of a _sleeping _McGonagall.

**Dumbledore turned and walked back down the street. On the corner he stopped and took out the silver Put-Outer. He clicked it once, and twelve balls of light sped back to their street lamps so that Privet Drive glowed suddenly orange and he could make out a tabby cat slinking around the corner at the other end of the street. He could just see the bundle of blankets on the step of number four.**

"**Good luck, Harry," he murmured.**

"Cause man, am I going to need it." said Harry. Mrs. Weasley frowned at this.

**He turned on his heel and with a swish of his cloak, he was gone.**

**A breeze ruffled the neat hedges of Privet Drive, which lay silent and tidy under the inky sky, the very last place you would expect astonishing things to happen. Harry Potter rolled over inside his blankets without waking up. One small hand closed on the letter beside him and he slept on, not knowing he was special, not knowing he was famous, not knowing he would be woken in a few hours' time by Mrs. Dursley's scream**

"What a horrible way to wake up." said Dean.

**as she opened the front door to put out the milk bottles, nor that he would spend the next few weeks being prodded and pinched by his cousin Dudley…**

Harry glared at the book.

**He couldn't know that at this very moment, people meeting in secret all over the country were holding up their glasses and saying in hushed voices: "To Harry Potter — the boy who lived!"**

"Well!" said the twins happily. "That went well!"

"Who wants to read next?" asked Umbridge.

Fred and George were out of their seats before Hermione could raise her hand, which, you have to admit, is quite the feat. After retrieving the book, the sat back down at the table and read, "**The Vanishing Glass**".


	4. The Vanishing Glass Part 1

Disclaimer: I do not own Harry Potter

Fred and George began to read.

**Nearly ten years had passed since the Dursleys had woken up to find their nephew on the front step, but Privet Drive had hardly changed at all. **

"Boring!" the twins called out, yawning.

Harry had gone very white. As much as he wanted to get out of Number Four, Privet drive, there had to be a better way than to have his life there read aloud. This was, he thought, quite personal. He tried to avoid talking about life away from Hogwarts as much as possible. He hadn't even told Ron and Hermione some of what happened at Privet Drive, he would always change the subject.

"Harry," said Hermione concernedly, "Are you… all right?"

Harry nodded, though he was still very pale.

"Mate?" asked Ron. "What's wrong?"

Harry didn't answer. Instead, he addressed Dumbledore at the staff table. "None of this is really that convenient, Sir," he said, unable to keep the pleading tone out of his voice, "Couldn't we just… skip to when I arrive at Hogwarts?"

Harry's friends looked at Harry, now more worried than ever, as they had never heard him sound so… helpless. Harry was always the leader, their symbol of strength and bravery. This new tone in Harry's voice scared them more than anything else so far. What did the Dursleys do to him?

"NO!" shrieked Umbridge. "We will be reading the _entire_ book."

Harry didn't even look at her. He just kept looking at Dumbledore, his face not the confident one everyone was use to. "Please, Professor…" he whispered, but everyone heard him.

Dumbledore looked at Harry for the first time in months. Harry felt no anger, no emotions that were not his own. Dumbledore realized that Harry was in no danger from Voldemort. Harry's feelings and strong heart would be too much for Voldemort to bear. However, looking into Harry's eyes, his heart seemed to break. Harry was hoping against hope the Headmaster would back him up, yet, this was in the Ministry's hands.

"It is not for me to decide, Harry." Dumbledore said softly.

Harry paled, if possible, even more. His face fell, and he looked defeated.

"Harry," whispered Hermione. "It's all right. Whatever happened at the Dursleys, we won't…" but what would she say? That they won't get angry? She was already angry, because it was obvious that they treated Harry awful. She decided to change what she was going to say. "Harry," she said firmly, "We're your friends, and we're here for you."

Harry smiled at her gratefully.

**The sun rose on the same tidy front gardens and lit up the brass number four on the Dursleys' front door; it crept into their living room, which was almost exactly the same as it had been on the night when Mr. Dursley had seen that fateful news report about the owls. Only the photographs on the mantelpiece really showed how much time had passed. Ten years ago, there had been lots of pictures of what looked like a large pink beach ball wearing different-colored bonnets** **but Dudley Dursley was no longer a baby, and now the photographs showed a large blond boy riding his first bicycle, on a carousel at the fair, playing a computer game with his father, being hugged and kissed by his mother. The room held no sign at all that another boy lived in the house, too. **

Lupin frowned; he didn't like the sound of that.

**Yet Harry Potter was still there, asleep at the moment, but not for long. His Aunt Petunia was awake and it was her shrill voice that made the first noise of the day. **

Snape shook his head. That was something _nobody_ should have to wake up to. Not even the famous Harry Potter.

"**Up! Get up! Now!" **

**Harry woke with a start. His aunt rapped on the door again. **

"**Up!" she screeched. **

"Oh, give him a moment!" yelled Ginny.

**Harry heard her walking toward the kitchen and then the sound of the frying pan being put on the stove. He rolled onto his back and tried to remember the dream he had been having. It had been a good one. There had been a flying motorcycle in it. He had a funny feeling he'd had the same dream before. **

"You have a darn good memory, Potter." Moody growled.

"Er… thanks?" said Harry.

**His aunt was back outside the door. **

"**Are you up yet?" she demanded. **

"I don't like the sound of these muggles…" said Mrs. Weasley.

"**Nearly," said Harry. **

"**Well, get a move on, I want you to look after the bacon. **

"They made you cook?" asked Mrs. Weasley, deceptively calm.

"Yeah," Harry muttered. She huffed, but didn't say anything more.

**And don't you dare let it burn, I want everything perfect on Duddy's birthday." **

A few people laughed at the name 'Duddy', but Harry couldn't be bothered to join. He was dreading what he knew would be coming up next.

**Harry groaned. **

"**What did you say?" his aunt snapped through the door. **

"**Nothing, nothing…" **

**Dudley's birthday — how could he have forgotten? **

"I don't blame you mate, from what you've told me, who would _want _to remember his birthday? He's a spoiled little brat, isn't he?" said Ron, trying to cheer Harry up.

Harry shrugged. That was clearly not the desired effect Ron had hoped for. Harry was just wondering what Ron would think when he found out how little about Dudley Harry had actually told him.

**Harry got slowly out of bed and started looking for socks. He found a pair under his bed and, after pulling a spider off one of them, put them on. **

Ron shuddered.

**Harry was used to spiders, **

Harry shot a glare at Umbridge, then buried his head in his arms on the table.

"Harry?" asked Ginny, worried.

She wasn't the only one, Sirius was whining, and Lupin looked especially grave.

There was a muffled sound from Harry that they took as 'keep reading'.

**because the cupboard under the stairs was full of them, **

Hermione narrowed her eyes and Ron frowned.

**and that was where he slept. **

Harry seemed to be trying to shrink into himself as the silence progressed. Never before had the Great Hall ever been this quiet. After seconds that could have been hours to Harry, there was still not a sound that reached his ears.

To be honest, everyone was too angry and shocked to yell. Harry had expected uproar, but this was actually much worse. At least if they were yelling, he knew what they were thinking.

"Harry…" said Lupin. He couldn't seem to form any other words.

"Harry why didn't you tell us?" asked Ron quietly.

Harry lifted his head from his arms, but kept his head down. He did not want to see all the pitying looks he could feel on his back. "It didn't seem important." he said.

"Not important?" asked Hermione. "Oh, Harry!" she flung her arms around him, trying very hard to keep herself from crying.

"Oh yes, this is all very moving!" cried Umbridge angrily, piercing the silence like a whip with her sickening voice. "But may I remind you that Harry Potter does not deserve any of your pity, as he is a liar and-

This was too much for Hogwarts.

"YOU LEAVE HIM ALONE YOU BI-

McGonagall didn't even bother trying to silence Lee Jordan, she herself was yelling. Harry however, did not hear one word of what she said, as Lee's outburst had caused everyone to start yelling, and to hear one over another was near impossible. People were yelling at Dumbledore, people were yelling at Umbridge, people were yelling at McGonagall and Hagrid, and people were yelling at Harry.

Harry tried to ignore this. They had read, what, a little over a chapter? The end of the week seemed years away.

Sirius whined and rested his head on Harry's knee.

_Bang!_

Everyone went quiet as all eyes turned, much to everyone's surprise, to Ginny Weasley, who had her wand in the air. "Honestly, you'd think we're a bunch of animals." she said angrily. "Why do you think Harry never told anybody about this? For _exactly_ this reason. Now shut up and give him some space!"

Harry stared at her feeling so relieved he could kiss her. This brought some of the color back to his pale cheeks. _Where did that thought come from?_

"Thank you, Ginny." he said quietly.

As the twins started reading again, and everyone was glowering at the book, Snape was trying to hide his confusion. He had been so sure, so absolutely sure, that the boy was a pampered prince. Now though, he was having some serious doubts. He obviously didn't want the attention these books were giving him, and he obviously wasn't the spoiled brat Snape had taken him for.

**When he was dressed he went down the hall into the kitchen. The table was almost hidden beneath all Dudley's birthday presents. **

Nobody had any comments. They were all still trying to get over the fact that Harry Potter, the Boy Who Lived, the Chosen One, had lived in a cupboard under the stairs.

_Harry doesn't deserve that… nobody does, but especially not Harry, _thought Ron. Harry was the most selfless person he knew, who put everyone's lives before his own, who would sacrifice himself for any noble cause. Heck, he would probably even save Malfoy if it came to it.

Hermione was crying silently. Her thoughts were on the similar line of Ron's. Harry, who would give anything to help another, shouldn't have to go through with this.

**It looked as though Dudley had gotten the new computer he wanted, not to mention the second television and the racing bike. Exactly why Dudley wanted a racing bike was a mystery to Harry, as Dudley was very fat and hated exercise**.

Molly Weasley was grumbling something about 'spoiled children'.

**unless of course it involved punching somebody. **

"If that means Harry, I swear…" Ginny growled. She left her threat hanging in the air, unfinished. A few people looked at her warily before scooting away.

**Dudley's favorite punching bag was Harry**

"THAT"S IT!" she cried. Now it was Harry's turn to drag her back from the locked doors of the Great Hall. "YOU LET GO OF ME HARRY POTTER; I AM GOING TO GO HEX THAT COUSIN OF YOURS INTO OBLIVION RIGHT NOW!"

"Er… Ginny," he said quietly, "They won't let you leave. Just… just calm down."

"Calm down! _Calm down?_ You're the one who should be angry, Harry!" she yelled with tears in her eyes.

"It doesn't matter," said Harry, in all seriousness, causing Hermione and Ron to groan and Sirius to whine. "Really, I'm use to it." This however, did not calm anybody down, as he had hoped, in fact, it seemed to make everyone much worse. "Honestly, it doesn't bother me!" cried Harry, trying to ease everybody's tempers. "I'm fine."

"Don't lie, Potter!" Harry didn't reply, as he was too shocked to do much than stare at the speaker. Severus Snape was standing, and appeared to be the one who had spoken. "The greatest lie I have _ever _heard you tell, and believe me, you have told some awful ones, is that you are fine."

Harry looked down. "Please… just keep reading." he said. He wanted this over as soon as possible.

Ginny, seeing his face, set her anger aside (she would save it for later), and calmly walked with Harry back to their seats.

**, but he couldn't often catch him. **

Lupin sighed; _at least there's that…_

**Harry didn't look it, but he was very fast. **

Ron scoffed. Fast? He was faster than fast! All the times they'd have to run away from something, he'd had to give it his all just to keep close to him.

**Perhaps it had something to do with living in a dark cupboard, **

Ginny wanted to punch something. Harry, seeing her expression, stood up and sat in between her and Lupin instead, and he grabbed her hand for comfort. Ron stared at them for a moment, feeling a small bit of anger, but he shrugged it off. He knew they would probably _eventually_ be together; and hey, better him than some other git.

**but Harry had always been small and skinny for his age. **

"You got that right," muttered Madam Pomfery

**He looked even smaller and skinnier than he really was because all he had to wear were old clothes of Dudley's, **

"Did they ever buy you anything?" asked Mrs. Weasley, frowning.

Harry didn't answer, which caused many people to groan.

**and Dudley was about four times bigger than he was. **

"Multiply that by six, if you really want to be accurate." said Fred, making George smile. They had seen Dudley just last summer; oh the memories!

**Harry had a thin face, knobbly knees, black hair, and bright green eyes. **

Ginny felt herself blushing. She loved his eyes... but she was too shy to look into them for much longer than half of a second.

**He wore round glasses held together with a lot of Scotch tape** **because of all the times Dudley had punched him on the nose. **

_This is torture_, thought Harry as many people sent him pitying looks.

**The only thing Harry liked about his own appearance was a very thin scar on his forehead that was shaped like a bolt of lightning. **

Ron and Hermione raised their eyebrows at him. "That was before I knew what it meant." he grumbled.

**He had had it as long as he could remember, and the first question he could ever remember asking his Aunt Petunia was how he had gotten it. **

"**In the car crash when your parents died,"**

Lupin jumped out of his seat in anger. His fury seemed to be too much for words. Sirius wasn't doing much better; he was growling fiercely, and many people were looking at him curiously. Harry suddenly went very pale. Malfoy knew Sirius was an animagus... he couldn't let Sirius be looked at too closely.

Harry got up from his seat next to Ginny while looking at Sirius, which is why he didn't notice Ginny's frown or Cho's smirk. He went over to his godfather, and sat down next to him on the floor. "Sirius," he whispered, "Calm down. You'll get found out!"

The dog stopped growling, but he was still baring his teeth. He laid down next to Harry, setting his head on Harry's knee.

**she had said. "And don't ask questions." **

"It's only natural to ask questions... especially at such a young age..." muttered Hermione.

_**Don't ask questions **_**— that was the first rule for a quiet life with the Dursleys. **

Hermione's eyes widened. There wasn't a person she knew in the world who had more questions than Harry. His curiosity was usually what got him into so much trouble. Forbidding Harry to ask questions... that was cruel.

**Uncle Vernon entered the kitchen as Harry was turning over the bacon. **

"**Comb your hair!" he barked, by way of a morning greeting. **

The twins sniggered, exchanging significant looks. "Yeah, Harvey, comb your hair!"

**About once a week, Uncle Vernon looked over the top of his newspaper and shouted that Harry needed a haircut. Harry must have had more haircuts than the rest of the boys in his class put together, but it made no difference, his hair simply grew that way — all over the place. **

Lupin, finally getting control over his anger, sat back down at the table, before changing his mind, and joining Harry and Sirius on the floor.

**Harry was frying eggs by the time Dudley arrived in the kitchen with his mother. Dudley looked a lot like Uncle Vernon. He had a large pink face, not much neck, small, watery blue eyes, and thick blond hair that lay smoothly on his thick, fat head. **

Many people looked disgusted.

**Aunt Petunia often said that Dudley looked like a baby angel — Harry often said that Dudley looked like a pig in a wig. **

Everyone laughed, which relieved some of the mounting tension in the room, though none laughed more than Fred and George.

"Who knew-

"You could be so funny!" they said, wiping fake tears from their eyes, before reading on.

**Harry put the plates of egg and bacon on the table, which was difficult as there wasn't much room. Dudley, meanwhile, was counting his presents. His face fell. **

"**Thirty-six," he said, looking up at his mother and father. "That's two less than last year." **

"Have you ever met such a spoiled child?" asked McGonagall, outraged.

"**Darling, you haven't counted Auntie Marge's present, see, it's here under this big one from Mummy and Daddy." **

"**All right, thirty-seven then," said Dudley, going red in the face. Harry, who could see a huge Dudley tantrum coming on, began wolfing down his bacon as fast as possible in case Dudley turned the table over. **

"I take it that's happened before?" asked, surprisingly, Tonks

"All the time." said Harry. "In fact, he still does it.

"Er... how old is he?" she asked.

"He's a year up on me." said Harry, shrugging.

Her expression turned into one of disgust.

"Don't eat too fast Harry," said Mrs. Weasley, worried, "You could choke!"

"Well, when he turns the table over, I don't get more, even if my food does get all over the floor."

There were looks of outrage. "They wouldn't give you more?" asked Hermione, furious. "Is this why you're such a fast eater?" she asked.

Harry nodded. He'd been refused food more times than he cared to count.

**Aunt Petunia obviously scented danger, too, because she said quickly, "And we'll buy you another **_**two **_**presents while we're out today. How's that, popkin? **_**Two **_**more presents. Is that all right?"**

**Dudley thought for a moment. It looked like hard work. **

"It probably was." muttered Harry.

**Finally he said slowly, "So I'll have thirty… thirty…"**

Lots of people groaned; the boy couldn't even count.

"**Thirty-nine, sweetums," said Aunt Petunia. **

"**Oh." Dudley sat down heavily and grabbed the nearest parcel. "All right then." **

**Uncle Vernon chuckled. **

"**Little tyke wants his money's worth, just like his father. 'Atta boy, Dudley!" He ruffled Dudley's hair. **

Madam Pomfrey clucked her tongue. _Encouraging this horrid behavior..._ she was thinking. She was just thankful Harry had turned into the smart, clever, polite young man he had.

The entire Hall was thinking the same thing, especially the teachers. _Imagine having to teach that cousin of his..._ they shuddered.

**At that moment the telephone rang and Aunt Petunia went to answer it while Harry and Uncle Vernon watched Dudley unwrap the racing bike, a video camera, a remote control airplane, sixteen new computer games, and a VCR. **

Mr. Weasley opened his mouth, looking interested.

"Not now, Arthur!" snapped Mrs. Weasley, making a few people laugh.

**He was ripping the paper off a gold wristwatch when Aunt Petunia came back from the telephone looking both angry and worried.**

"**Bad news, Vernon," she said. "Mrs. Figg's broken her leg. She can't take him." She jerked her head in Harry's direction. **

"He _is_ in the room you know." said Luna Lovegood, without her usual dreamy quality. Harry smiled, he liked Luna more every day.

**Dudley's mouth fell open in horror, but Harry's heart gave a leap. Every year on Dudley's birthday, his parents took him and a friend out for the day, to adventure parks, hamburger restaurants, or the movies. Every year, Harry was left behind with Mrs. Figg, a mad old lady who lived two streets away. Harry hated it there. The whole house smelled of cabbage and Mrs. Figg made him look at photographs of all the cats she'd ever owned. **

Harry frowned; how many times had he gone to Mrs. Figg's? If only she had told him something... she had known, all along...

"**Now what?" said Aunt Petunia, looking furiously at Harry as though he'd planned this. **

"Do they blame you for everything, Harry?" asked Lee Jordan.

"Pretty much."

**Harry knew he ought to feel sorry that Mrs. Figg had broken her leg, but it wasn't easy when he reminded himself it would be a whole year before he had to look at Tibbles, Snowy, Mr. Paws, and Tufty again. **

"**We could phone Marge," Uncle Vernon suggested. **

"No!" cried Harry. The whole of the Great Hall looked at him, at least they tried, as he was on the floor, and he blushed. "She hates me," Harry said. "and the feeling is mutual."

"Is she the one that you... in third year...?" asked Ron.

Harry nodded, smiling slightly. Ron smiled back, confusing quite a lot of people.

"**Don't be silly, Vernon, she hates the boy." **

**The Dursleys often spoke about Harry like this, as though he wasn't there — or rather, as though he was something very nasty that couldn't understand them, like a slug. **

"We don't think you look like a slug, Harvey!" said Fred.

"Er... thanks." said Harry.

"Yeah, you look more like a flobber worm..." said George.

Harry rolled his eyes as Ron burst out laughing.

"Quiet!" yelled Umbridge, having had enough interruptions.

"Oh, go comb your hair!" the twins yelled at her angrily, quoting Harry's Uncle.

It was Harry's turn to burst out laughing. Ron and Hermione beamed at him, after exchanging significant looks that Harry missed. It was good to see him laugh... he hadn't been doing it often lately.

"**What about what's-her-name, your friend — Yvonne?" **

"**On vacation in Majorca," snapped Aunt Petunia. **

"**You could just leave me here," Harry put in hopefully (he'd be able to watch what he wanted on television for a change and maybe even have a go on Dudley's computer). **

**Aunt Petunia looked as though she'd just swallowed a lemon. **

The twins looked at each other, smiling as if Christmas had come early.

"No, boys!" cried Mrs. Weasley. "There will be no lemon swallowing while _I'm _ here."

"We'll just wait till you leave then." they said quietly.

"What?" she snapped, but they just started to read.

"**And come back and find the house in ruins?" she snarled. **

"Yeah, cause I like to blow things up in my free time!" said Harry sarcastically.

"**I won't blow up the house," said Harry**

Ron smiled, _but he'll blow up his Aunt!_

**, but they weren't listening. **

Harry scoffed, "Figures..." he muttered.

"**I suppose we could take him to the zoo," said Aunt Petunia slowly, "… and leave him in the car…" **

"THATS ILLEGAL!" cried Hermione.

"It's okay, Hermione," said Harry, "They didn't do it often."

This just made her more angry, which wasn't what Harry was aiming for.

Lupin put his arm around Harry, trying to calm himself down, while Sirius began growling again.

"**That car's new, he's not sitting in it alone…" **

**Dudley began to cry loudly. In fact, he wasn't really crying — it had been years since he'd really cried — but he knew that if he screwed up his face and wailed, his mother would give him anything he wanted. **

"**Dinky Duddydums**

Despite the anger and tension, many people laughed at the awful nickname.

**, don't cry, Mummy won't let him spoil your special day!" she cried, flinging her arms around him. **

"**I… don't… want… him… t-t-to come!" Dudley yelled between huge, pretend sobs. "He always sp-spoils everything!" He shot Harry a nasty grin through the gap in his mother's arms. **

"Nasty... awful child..." Mrs. Weasley was muttering under her breath.

**Just then, the doorbell rang — "Oh, good Lord, they're here!" said Aunt Petunia frantically — and a moment later, Dudley's best friend, Piers Polkiss, walked in with his mother. Piers was a scrawny boy with a face like a rat. He was usually the one who held people's arms behind their backs while Dudley hit them.**

Snape frowned, how would Potter know that?

**Dudley stopped pretending to cry at once. **

"Of course he did!" said Hermione.

**Half an hour later, Harry, who couldn't believe his luck, was sitting in the back of the Dursleys' car with Piers and Dudley, on the way to the zoo for the first time in his life. **

Many people looked at Harry with pity, which only made him angry, but he kept his temper in check.

**His aunt and uncle hadn't been able to think of anything else to do with him, but before they'd left, Uncle Vernon had taken Harry aside. **

Lupin's hand on Harry's shoulder tightened, making him wince slightly.

"**I'm warning you," he had said, putting his large purple face right up close to Harry's, **"**I'm warning you now, boy — any funny business, anything at all — and you'll be in that cupboard from now until Christmas." **

The tension increased tenfold. Hermione cleared her throat and, hoping she sounded offhand, asked "They, er, wouldn't really do that, would they Harry?"

Harry looked down.

"**I'm not going to do anything," said Harry, "honestly…" **

**But Uncle Vernon didn't believe him. No one ever did. **

Quite a few people shifted uneasily in their seats. They didn't believe Harry about You-know-who coming back either... could he possibly be telling the truth? The profit was always saying how Harry was an attention seeking madman, but from what they'd read so far, that didn't look the case.

**The problem was, strange things often happened around Harry and it was just no good telling the Dursleys he didn't make them happen. **

Many of the teachers leaned forward in their seats, expecting to hear about Harry's accidental magic. They were not disapointed.

**Once, Aunt Petunia, tired of Harry coming back from the barbers looking as though he hadn't been at all, had taken a pair of kitchen scissors and cut his hair so short he was almost bald except for his bangs, which she left "to hide that horrible scar." **

**Dudley had laughed himself silly at Harry, who spent a sleepless night imagining school the next day, where he was already laughed at for his baggy clothes and taped glasses. Next morning, however, he had gotten up to find his hair exactly as it had been before Aunt Petunia had sheared it off. **

Lupin burst out laughing. "That's not accidental magic, Harry, that's just the curse of the Potter hair!"

Harry couldn't help but smile. His family's hair was cursed? Cool!

**He had been given a week in his cupboard for this, even though he had tried to explain that he **_**couldn't **_**explain how it had grown back so quickly. **

Lupin stopped laughing. "A _week_?" he asked.

Snape frowned, Petunia should have known he couldn't control it... she had, after all, been Lily's siter...

**Another time, Aunt Petunia had been trying to force him into a revolting old sweater of Dudley's (brown with orange puff balls). **

The girls looked nauseated.

"I don't know," said Malfoy loudly, "I think I'd prefer that over a certain red-haired Weasley's dress robes last year."

Ron's ears went pink.

"Shut it, Malfoy!" snapped Harry.

"Potter!" cried Umbridge. Harry turned his glare on her instead. "Do not yell at your fellow students." she said.

Harry's temper got away from him. He jumped to his feet, "DID YOU NOT JUST HEAR HIM-

"HOW DARE YOU YELL AT YOUR SUPERIOR!" she screamed. "NOW SIT DOWN!"

Harry, however, did not sit down. "You refuse to see things that are right in front of you!" he cried.

"Potter, I'm warning you!"

"You don't listen unless it's in your favor!" he continued, while many of the students stared at him in awe. "If you would just-

"SILENCE!" she screamed. "Mr. Potter," she said sweetly, but he cut her off.

"Listen to reason!" he shouted, and it was obvious this was no longer just an argument about Ron's dress robes. "You too, Minister! Voldemort is back, and if you don't start-

"YOU DARE TALK TO THE MINISTER LIKE THAT!?" yelled Umbridge. She stood up, and began marching towards Harry, who stood his ground.

Lupin jumped to his feet and stepped in front of Harry, his anger reverberating off him like heat waves.

"Out of my way, werewolf!" she yelled.

"Dolores!" cried Madam Bones, "Get a hold on yourself!"

But Umbridge seemed beyond reason. She took out her wand, and pointed it at Lupin.

Before anyone could do anything, the large black dog transformed into Sirius Black. He knew it was foolish, but he would not stand by and watch anything happen to his best friend.

Umbridge dropped her wand in shock and fear, screaming "BLACK! ITS SIRIUS BLACK!"

The few Ministry officials in the room stood up and whipped their wands out. Harry, who saw what was coming, mimicked their movements. He was too late to cast any type of shield charm, as multiple spells were already airborne, and aimed at Sirius. Harry did the only thing he could think of, he dove into Sirius, shoving him out of the way.

"SIRIUS MOVE!" he yelled. Harry managed to get him out of harm's way, but in doing so, he had placed himself in the path of fire.

"HARRY!" screamed Hermione in fright as she saw her best friend get bombarded with five spells straight in the chest. He was blasted backwards, and he landed very hard on the stone floor where he stay, unconscious.

Dumbledore managed to restrain the Ministry workers from attacking again, but nobody was paying attention to them. All eyes were on either Harry, or Black.

Sirius ran forward to check if his godson was all right, but Ron and Hermione beat him to it.

"Harry? HARRY!" they cried, but he did not stir.

Dumbledore was still talking to the Ministry workers quietly, but everyone's attention was on Harry now. Sirius knelt down by his godson, who looked as if he was going to cry. Then Lupin was there, the Weasleys, Tonks, McGonagall, and Madam Pomfrey were there.

Everyone made room for Madam Pomfrey to get through. She instantly began examining Harry.

Sirius cursed his own stupidity. He was such an idiot. This was all his fault... all his fault. What had he been thinking? Remus could hold his own! And now, because of his foolishness, Harry had put himself in danger to save him. Sirius realized that Harry had probably just saved him from being thrown back into Azkaban. Dumbledore was probably convincing the Ministry officials to give him Veritaserum or something, so he would be forced to tell the truth. He couldn't very well tell the truth if he was unconscious from five stunning spells, now could he?

Everybody else was just in shock. Why would Harry try and save the mass murderer, Sirius Black? Why? Was he, perhaps, innocent?

"He's all right." Madam Pomfrey sighed. The entire Great Hall let out a breath that nobody had realized they'd been holding. Hermione and Mrs. Weasley started crying with relief. "But he won't come around for a while."

"Sirius," called Dumbledore, "If you would come with me please." he said. "Severus, you too." he turned his eyes back on the Minister. "If you and Madam Bones would come with me, I can prove to you that Sirius is innocent."

Sirius, with one last long worried look at Harry, asked "You're sure he's all right?"

Madam Pomfrey nodded. Sirius nodded as well, trying to convince himself that this was true. He turned and followed Dumbledore out of the Hall.

Madam Pomfrey took Harry to the Hospital Wing, and his close friends went as well, not wanting him out of their sight.

McGonagall sighed. _Poor Potter..._ "Well," she said to the room at large. "You have the rest of the day off. We'll finish the book tomorrow instead."

Umbridge looked livid. "We will finish it now!" she said.

McGonagall had had it. She wasn't putting up with this anymore. "Dumbledore and the Minister have left, and they won't be back for some time!" she snapped. "Harry and half of Gryffindor, along with even a few of the other houses, are gone as well! He's going to need a while to recuperate. There is no point in continuing anymore today."

Umbridge was furious, but as she opened her mouth to protest, McGonagall lost her self control completely. With a wave of her wand, Dolores Umbridge was no longer present. Instead, there was a large, fat, ugly toad with a pink bow on its head. She allowed herself a small smile as the remainder of the Great Hall was taken over in a fit of laughter. The other teachers raised their eyebrows at her, but did nothing to stop her.

"Well?" she said to the students, "Off to your dormitories! Be back here at eight o' clock tomorrow morning to continue with the book."

She sighed. She had a feeling it was going to take a lot longer than a week to finish these books.


	5. The Vanishing Glass Part 2

-I do not own Harry Potter.

Harry groaned. His entire body felt as if it had just been beaten.

"I think he's waking up!" someone screeched in excitement.

"Took him long enough," somebody else muttered.

Harry opened his eyes, yet as he was not wearing his glasses, this did not improve things much. He reached around blindly for them, and somebody handed them to him. After putting his glasses on, he looked around.

Of course. He was in the Hospital Wing. He thought he should be surprised, but he was so use to it now, he just couldn't make himself feel the shock.

"Sirius!" he cried, sitting up quickly, but this gave him a horrible headache, and he laid back down, groaning.

"I'm fine, now shut up and tell me how you're feeling!"

"Sirius!" someone reprimanded.

"What?" Harry asked, confused. Sirius was here? But Harry had been so sure he was going to get chucked back in Azkaban!"What happened?" he said quickly, looking around. Harry had never seen the Hospital Wing so crowded. The entire D.A. was there, the Weasleys, Hermione, Sirius, and Lupin were all there as well. "What the-? Why- How did-

"Calm down, mate," said Ron, frowning at his best friend. "Everything's fine."

"But what happened? Sirius, I was so worried that-

Sirius waved this aside. "Dumbledore straightened it all out." he said. "I took some Veritaserum, proved my innocence, and it was all taken care of."

"You mean... after all this time, all you had to do was take some bloody Veritaserum and everything would be fine?" asked Harry, outraged.

"Harry, language!" cried Molly Weasley, but Harry wasn't listening.

"We should have done that sooner! Why didn't Dumbledore-

"Harry, it's not that simple," said Sirius. "The point is I'm fine. Now how are you?"

"I'm fine." Harry lied, feeling like he had been run over by the Hogwarts Express.

"We were so worried..." said Hermione quietly,"Five stunning spells straight to the chest..."

"Well, Umbridge isn't happy," said Ron, smiling, as if that made everything better.

Everyone began to laugh. Harry hadn't found it that funny.

"Ol' Toadface is furious," said Ron, making the laughing get louder, "McGonagall is in a good mood though."

As everyone laughed even louder, Harry began to think he was missing something here. "Did something happen to-

"I wish we could have seen it!" cried Fred.

"If only we'd stayed in the Great Hall a few more minutes!" said George.

"What?" asked Harry, exasperated.

"Hagrid said McGonagall was really angry after you got hit," Ginny explained, "She blamed it on Umbridge… and Umbridge got what she deserved."

Harry frowned, "What do you mean?"

It was at that moment that Fred and George burst out laughing, they just couldn't contain it any longer. "McGonagall transfigured her into a toad!" They cried, nearly falling over with glee.

"You're not serious?" asked Harry, a smile on his face.

"Dead serious!" they said together, and Harry laughed.

"Brilliant!" said Harry. "Remind me to thank her later when…" and his smile faltered. "Hang on… she'll get in huge trouble for that…"

"Nah, all the Ministry officials were with Dumbledore at the time, so none of them saw, and I doubt any of the teachers or students would rat McGonagall out." said George, waving it aside with a flick of his hand.

"But…" said Harry, "What about Ol' Toadface herself? Surely she won't let this go?"

"Ah, but 'Ol' Toadface herself' is still a toad." said Fred happily. "You worry too much Harvey!"

"I have good reason to…" Harry muttered under his breath.

"Sorry?"

"Er, nothing. I just said, Umbridge will be returned to normal sooner or later, correct?"

"When the spell wears off, sure!" said George.

Harry's eyes widened, obviously the twins weren't catching on. "Don't you two realize that-

"Oh, go comb your hair!" they said. "Anyway, we promised Lee we'd let him know when you woke; see ya Harvey!"

As the twins left, Harry sat there, stunned. By the looks on Ron and Hermione's faces, Harry knew they understood.

At that moment, Madam Pomfrey walked in. "Ah, Potter, you're awake!" she shuffled to his side, ushering students out of the way. "All of you, out!" she said. "I told you that you could stay until he woke, but then you would have to leave. Out I say, out!"

"See you in the Great Hall, Harry." said Luna, dreamily.

"Yeah… see you, Luna."

"Later, Harry!" said Collin, with a broad smile.

"We'll see you in a few minutes, okay, Harry dear?" said Mrs. Weasley.

"Hope you're feelin' all right, Harry!" The D.A. members shuffled out of the Hospital Wing, leaving only Ron, Hermione, and Sirius.

"Can they stay?" asked Harry quickly.

"Of course, Potter." she said, smiling slightly. "Now, how are you feeling?"

Harry took a deep breath, and winced. "I'm fine."

She tutted and shook her head. "Don't lie to me, Potter, you were hit by quite a few spells last night, and I need to clear you before you can go back to the Great Hall.

"I think I'm dying!" said Harry quickly.

Hermione squealed, and Ron's face paled considerably, but Sirius, catching what Harry was up to, smiled.

"Really, Madam Pomfrey, I am in no shape to go anywhere. You should just tell everybody to carry on reading without me while I stay in here with Ron and Hermione and-

Madam Pomfrey chuckled, "You're not dying, Potter. I'm not stupid you know. Do be rational now, they won't continue without you."

Ron looked furious. "Don't scare me like that, mate!" he gasped."Give me a heart attack, why don't you?"

Hermione looked angry too, and she hit him lightly on the chest, about to start reprimanding him alongside Ron; but the brief contact caused Harry to gasp in pain and clutch at his stomach. Hermione's hands went over her mouth to stifle a cry as she realized what she'd done. "Oh Harry! I'm so sorry!" she muffled through her hands.

"It's all right…" Harry gasped.

Sirius looked extremely worried, and Hermione started crying.

"Hermione," said Harry, "I'm fine, really I-

"Hush Potter!" said Madam Pomfrey. "How bad does it hurt?"

"It doesn't, I-

She glared at him.

"Well, it's a bit sore, but nothing I can't han-

"'A bit sore', honestly!" she cried.

"Actually," said Ron, still very pale in the face, "Getting him to admit that much is quite a feat."

Sirius looked to Ron, "What do you mean?"

"Harry doesn't like us to worry," Hermione cut in through her cries, "When he's hurt, he tries to keep it to himself."

Sirius frowned.

"Yeah, the only time we ever find out is if he's in mortal danger! Though, that's still too often for my taste." said Ron bitterly.

"Mortal danger?" asked Sirius quietly.

"At _least _twice a year!" said Ron, and Harry glared at him.

Madam Pomfrey shook her head, "I have yet to see a year where Potter isn't in the Hospital Wing for at least a night."

Sirius paled even more. He rounded on Harry. "How come I don't know about this?"

"It's not such a big deal, I-

"Not such a big deal?" he asked incredulously. "Harry, I'd like to know if you've ever almost died or not!"

"Fine!" said Harry, getting annoyed. "First year I was almost beaten by a troll, knocked off my broom, eaten by a giant three headed dog, and murdered by Voldemort." Sirius looked like he was about to say something, but Harry was on a roll. He spoke louder. "Second year I almost died of starvation, got murdered by a tree, got killed by a rogue bludger, eaten by hundreds of giant spiders, died from deadly poison, and murdered by Voldemort yet again."

"Harry, why didn't you-

"Third year!" cried Harry. "I nearly died from a fall off my broom after a dementor attack, and almost got kissed by the foul things more times than I care to count!"

Sirius paled even further at the mention of the dementors.

"Fourth year!" said Harry. "I nearly got killed by a dragon, and came face to face with a reborn Voldemort and was forced to duel. Then my teacher tried to kill me! And to top it off, in the beginning of this year, I get attacked by dementors yet again."

"Harry," said Sirius, stunned, "I would like you to please-

Harry sat up, ignoring the pains in his chest. "I'm fine, Madam Pomfrey. I'm going to the Great Hall."

The entire walk to the Hall, Harry was pestered by constant remarks from Hermione of 'Are you sure you're all right?' to Ron's 'Can't wait to see Umbridge!' to Sirius' 'What do you mean, a troll in your first year?'

Upon entering, a few minutes after eight, the entire Hall stood to get a good look at him. Harry ignored the looks, and went straight to the spot on the floor he had sat the day before. Sirius, Ron, and Hermione sat down with him without a second's thought.

Ron began to snigger. He elbowed Harry, who winced, and pointed to the Ministry workers. In a seat next to Fudge, was a large, fat ,warty old toad with a pink bow on its head.

Harry noticed that Fudge was glaring at Sirius, but Sirius paid him no mind.

"Well then," said McGonagall, looking oddly nervous, "Now that we're all here, we should continue from where we left off. Who would like to read first?" she asked.

"What about breakfast?" asked the twins in unison.

"You've already had it!" she said, smiling slightly.

Ron groaned, "We missed breakfast?"

A few Gryffindors laughed.

McGonagall sighed, before saying, "Fine."

Loads of food appeared in front of them instantly. Ron filled a plate from the table, brought it back to the floor, and dug in; but Harry wasn't feeling up to food. He leaned over to Hermione and whispered to her, "McGonagall seems nervous… what do you reckon Umbridge is going to do when she's human again?"

Hermione frowned. "Oh, I hope nothing too horrible!"

Harry sat for a minute, thinking; he wouldn't let Umbridge do anything to McGonagall. He had a plan.

A few minutes later, Ginny raised her hand to read.

**The harder she tried to pull it over his head, the smaller it seemed to become, until finally it might have fitted a hand puppet, but certainly wouldn't fit Harry. Aunt Petunia had decided it must have shrunk in the wash and, to his great relief, Harry wasn't punished. **

**On the other hand, he'd gotten into terrible trouble for being found on the roof of the school kitchens. **

"If Harry considers it terrible, you know it's bad…" said Neville Longbottom weakly.

**Dudley's gang had been chasing him as usual when, as much to Harry's surprise as anyone else's, there he was sitting on the chimney. **

"Impressive…" said Moody, eyeing Harry with both eyes.

**The Dursleys had received a very angry letter from Harry's headmistress telling them Harry had been climbing school buildings. But all he'd tried to do (as he shouted at Uncle Vernon through the locked door of his cupboard) was jump behind the big trash cans outside the kitchen doors. Harry supposed that the wind must have caught him in mid-jump. **

"Harvey!" cried the twins; laughing so hysterically they almost fell out of their seats. "What a pathetic excuse!

**But today, nothing was going to go wrong.**

Now Ron and Hermione burst out laughing.

Harry frowned, "What's that for?" he asked.

Ron just shook his head while Hermione looked at Harry fondly. "Mate, everything goes wrong for you."

"You have the worst luck in the world!" said Hermione.

Sirius frowned.

"I don't know…" said Harry, thinking of all his near death experiences, "I'm not dead yet… I consider that pretty darn lucky."

Hermione and Ron stopped laughing.

"Harry!" reprimanded Mr. Weasley. "Don't think like that."

"It's true." Harry grumbled.

**It was even worth being with Dudley and Piers to be spending the day somewhere that wasn't school, his cupboard, or Mrs. Figg's cabbage-smelling living room. **

**While he drove, Uncle Vernon complained to Aunt Petunia. He liked to complain about things: people at work, Harry, the council, Harry, the bank, and Harry were just a few of his favorite subjects. **

"You know, you could do with a bit of complaining, mate." Ron said, frowning. "I mean, it's annoying if you do it all the time… but I think, in your case, we wouldn't mind."

"Yeah," said Hermione, "It's really annoying when Ron complains all the time-

"Hey!"

"But even though you have more to complain about than he does, you don't say anything." said Hermione, frowning.

Harry shrugged, "What good is complaining? It's not like it will help anything. I could complain that my parents are dead, Voldemort is back, and about the constant stream of insults I get from the Ministry and the Prophet, but what would that do? It's not like complaining about it will make my problems disappear."

Ron stared at his friend, he supposed Hermione was right, he _did_ complain a lot… but when he compared his life to Harry's… he had no right.

**This morning, it was motorcycles. **

"… **roaring along like maniacs, the young hoodlums," he said, as a motorcycle overtook them. **

"**I had a dream about a motorcycle," said Harry, remembering suddenly. "It was flying." **

"With brains like that, you could be in Slytherin!" said Ginny sarcastically, yet quiet enough so that none of the said house would overhear.

**Uncle Vernon nearly crashed into the car in front. **

"Really!" scoffed Mrs. Weasley. "He's going to get them all killed!"

**He turned right around in his seat and yelled at Harry, his face like a gigantic beet with a mustache: **

"**MOTORCYCLES DON'T FLY!" **

Sirius glared at the book. "Do too…"

**Dudley and Piers sniggered. **

"**I know they don't," said Harry. "It was only a dream." **

Harry sighed, "Oh, to have normal dreams again!" he said wistfully.

**But he wished he hadn't said anything. If there was one thing the Dursleys hated even more than his asking questions, it was his talking about anything acting in a way it shouldn't, no matter if it was in a dream or even a cartoon — they seemed to think he might get dangerous ideas. **

"They got that right, didn't they?" chuckled Ron.

Harry glared at him.

**It was a very sunny Saturday and the zoo was crowded with families. The Dursleys bought Dudley and Piers large chocolate ice creams at the entrance and then, because the smiling lady in the van had asked Harry what he wanted before they could hurry him away, they bought him a cheap lemon ice pop. **

"Probably the best thing I'd ever tasted!" Harry said, smiling. Then, catching the look on Ron's mom's face, added "Until I had Mrs. Weasley's cooking!"

She beamed at him.

**It wasn't bad, either, Harry thought, licking it as they watched a gorilla scratching its head who looked remarkably like Dudley, except that it wasn't blond. **

Quite a few people laughed at this. "Little Harvey's got a nice snappy little sense of humor!" said the twins.

**Harry had the best morning he'd had in a long time. He was careful to walk a little way apart from the Dursleys so that Dudley and Piers, who were starting to get bored with the animals by lunchtime, wouldn't fall back on their favorite hobby of hitting him. **

Hermione looked at Harry sadly. "I still can't believe you didn't tell Ron and me…"

"What difference would it have made?" asked Harry. "It's not like I'll be allowed to leave the Dursley's if I tell you and Ron what goes on there."

She groaned in frustration. "That's also what you said about complaining!"

"Well it's true, there's no point in complaining, or telling people how bad you've got it because nothing's going to change."

"It doesn't matter!" said Hermione. "It doesn't matter if nothing changes! The point is… it generally helps if people talk about what's bothering them, instead of keeping it all locked up inside."

Harry looked quite confused.

**They ate in the zoo restaurant, and when Dudley had a tantrum because his knickerbocker glory didn't have enough ice cream on top, Uncle Vernon bought him another one and Harry was allowed to finish the first. **

**Harry felt, afterward, that he should have known it was all too good to last. **

"And here comes the famous Harry Potter's bad luck!" announced Ginny. "You know," she said, speaking to Harry who was still on the floor with Ron and Hermione and Sirius, "The only time you ever seem to have good luck, is when your life depends on it…"

Harry looked thoughtful for a minute, "That… actually seems really accurate."

Sirius and Lupin groaned.

**After lunch they went to the reptile house. It was cool and dark in there, with lit windows all along the walls. Behind the glass, all sorts of lizards and snakes were crawling and slithering over bits of wood and stone. Dudley and Piers wanted to see huge, poisonous cobras and thick, man-crushing pythons. Dudley quickly found the largest snake in the place. It could have wrapped its body twice around Uncle Vernon's car and crushed it into a trash can — but at the moment it didn't look in the mood. In fact, it was fast asleep. **

"Ah," said George, "So it's the rare and endangered species called the Ronald Snake!"

"Hey!" said Ron, while Harry and Hermione sniggered.

"He's got a point!" said Fred, grinning.

**Dudley stood with his nose pressed against the glass, staring at the glistening brown coils. **

"**Make it move," he whined at his father. Uncle Vernon tapped on the glass, but the snake didn't budge. **

"**Do it again," Dudley ordered. Uncle Vernon rapped the glass smartly with his knuckles, but the snake just snoozed on. **

Fred shook his head fondly. "Ah, Ronnie, you sleepy git, wake up!"

"Oi!" cried Ron. "You and George sleep in longer than I do!"

"Do us a favor won't you?" asked George. "Shut up and go comb your hair."

"**This is boring," Dudley moaned. He shuffled away. **

**Harry moved in front of the tank and looked intently at the snake. He wouldn't have been surprised if it had died of boredom itself — no company except stupid people drumming their fingers on the glass trying to disturb it all day long. It was worse than having a cupboard as a bedroom, where the only visitor was Aunt Petunia hammering on the door to wake you up; at least he got to visit the rest of the house. **

"For being such a pessimist, Harry, that was a really optimistic thought!" said Luna dreamily.

"I'm not a pessimist!" Harry said defiantly.

Ron smirked and quoted Harry from earlier, "I'm not dead yet… I consider that pretty darn lucky".

"That's not being pessimistic," said Harry, "That's being rational!"

"You're _not_ going to die!" Sirius said forcefully.

**The snake suddenly opened its beady eyes. Slowly, very slowly, it raised its head until its eyes were on a level with Harry's. **

_**It winked. **_

**Harry stared. Then he looked quickly around to see if anyone was watching. They weren't. He looked back at the snake and winked, too. **

"And that, Harvey, is why we love you!" said the twins in unison.

**The snake jerked its head toward Uncle Vernon and Dudley, then raised its eyes to the ceiling. It gave Harry a look that said quite plainly: **

"_**I get that all the time." **_

"**I know," Harry murmured through the glass, though he wasn't sure the snake could hear him. "It must be really annoying." **

"You're talking to a snake, Potter?" called Malfoy.

"Yep!" said Harry smiling. "He was a nice snake, he was… I wonder if he ever made it to Brazil…?"

Malfoy looked slightly crestfallen that Harry hadn't taken his bait for an argument. Everyone else, however, were wondering what on Earth Harry had meant by the snake making it to Brazil.

**The snake nodded vigorously. **

"**Where do you come from, anyway?" Harry asked. **

**The snake jabbed its tail at a little sign next to the glass. Harry peered at it. **

**Boa Constrictor, Brazil. **

"**Was it nice there?" **

**The boa constrictor jabbed its tail at the sign again and Harry read on: This specimen was bred in the zoo. "Oh, I see — so you've never been to Brazil?" **

Ron and Hermione smiled. Harry really was a unique person…

Snape, up at the teachers table, was staring at Harry with a surprising intensity. _He may be his father's son… he certainly inherited the looks and his disregard for rules… but it looks like he inherited his personality from Lily… how strange… why had he never noticed before?_

_Ah, but Severus, _said a nasty little voice in his head, _you only saw what you expected to see, Dumbledore told you Harry was more like his mother than his father._

**As the snake shook its head, a deafening shout behind Harry made both of them jump. "DUDLEY! MR. DURSLEY! COME AND LOOK AT THIS SNAKE! YOU WON'T BELIEVE WHAT IT'S DOING!" **

**Dudley came waddling toward them as fast as he could. **

"**Out of the way, you," he said, punching Harry in the ribs. Caught by surprise, Harry fell hard on the concrete floor. **

"Oi!" shouted Ron, jumping to his feet.

Harry rolled his eyes, "Ron, this was over four years ago!"

"Oh… yeah…" he said, sitting back down, red in the face.

**What came next happened so fast no one saw how it happened — one second, Piers and Dudley were leaning right up close to the glass, the next, they had leapt back with howls of horror. **

The twins grinned at Harry, "What did you do, Harvey?"

**Harry sat up and gasped; the glass front of the boa constrictor's tank had vanished. **

"Ohoo," said Fred, wiggling his finger back and forth. "Naughty naughty!"

"You sly dog, you!" said a smiling George to Harry, shaking his head with his hands on his hips.

**The great snake was uncoiling itself rapidly, slithering out onto the floor. People throughout the reptile house screamed and started running for the exits. **

**As the snake slid swiftly past him, Harry could have sworn a low, hissing voice said, **_**"Brazil, here I come… Thanksss, amigo." **_

"He was a really nice snake…" Harry sighed, thinking about the first friend he ever had.

**The keeper of the reptile house was in shock. **

"**But the glass," he kept saying, "where did the glass go?" **

"Poor bloke," said Fred, laughing.

"It's not funny, Fred!" snapped Mrs. Weasley.

Fred suddenly stopped laughing and looked suspiciously solemn. "Oh!" he started fake-sobbing. "That poor, poor man!" he wailed.

George snickered while Fred's wails turned into heaves of laughter.

Mrs. Weasley was too amused to bother telling them off.

**The zoo director himself made Aunt Petunia a cup of strong, sweet tea while he apologized over and over again. Piers and Dudley could only gibber. As far as Harry had seen, the snake hadn't done anything except snap playfully at their heels as it passed**

Ron grinned. "I see why you like that snake!" he said.

**, but by the time they were all back in Uncle Vernon's car, Dudley was telling them how it had nearly bitten off his leg, while Piers was swearing it had tried to squeeze him to death. But worst of all, for Harry at least, was Piers calming down enough to say, "Harry was talking to it, weren't you, Harry?" **

"That bloody git!" yelled Ginny.

"Ginnevra Weasley!" shouted Mrs. Weasley. "Language!"

"Ginnevra Weasley!" the twins shouted at their sister in a scary imitation of their mother, "Go comb your hair!" They looked as if they wanted to say more, but they were laughing too hard to form any coherent words.

Mrs. Weasley scoffed, "It's not even funny… and that sounded nothing like me."

**Uncle Vernon waited until Piers was safely out of the house before starting on Harry. He was so angry he could hardly speak. He managed to say, "Go — cupboard — stay — no meals," before he collapsed into a chair, and Aunt Petunia had to run and get him a large brandy. **

Harry grimaced as every head turned to Harry. This was going to get annoying… well, it already was annoying, but it was surely going to get a lot worse as the books went on.

"No meals!" said Hermione in a shrill voice. "He's starving you?"

"So that's why you're such a skinny git…" said George, but there was no humor in his voice.

**Harry lay in his dark cupboard much later, wishing he had a watch. He didn't know what time it was and he couldn't be sure the Dursleys were asleep yet. Until they were, he couldn't risk sneaking to the kitchen for some food. **

"Is this why you're never caught?" asked the twins curiously.

Harry nodded, thinking of the cloak. "Who's to say I'm never caught though?" he asked, frowning. "I'm sure I remember quite a few times of getting caught… and getting points taken away for it… and for getting ignored for the next month or two because the rest of the house was so angry, even though they didn't know _why_ I'd gotten into trouble."

The twins looked sheepish. They had been quite angry with Harry for losing all the points he did… but they had never asked him _why_ those points had been lost.

Mrs. Weasley glared at the twins. "You better not have been a part of that!"

They looked urgently at Ginny, who started reading again.

**He'd lived with the Dursleys almost ten years, ten miserable years**

Harry frowned, "Fourteen, now."

**, as long as he could remember, ever since he'd been a baby and his parents had died in that car crash. He couldn't remember being in the car when his parents had died. **

"Hmm, wonder why that is!" said Hermione angrily and full of sarcasm. "Maybe because it WASN'T a car crash!"

**Sometimes, when he strained his memory during long hours in his cupboard, he came up with a strange vision: a blinding flash of green light and a burning pain on his forehead. **

A few people winced, and Harry absently brought a hand up to his scar…

**This, he supposed, was the crash, though he couldn't imagine where all the green light came from. **

**He couldn't remember his parents at all. His aunt and uncle never spoke about them, and of course he was forbidden to ask questions. There were no photographs of them in the house. When he had been younger, Harry had dreamed and dreamed of some unknown relation coming to take him away, but it had never happened; **

Lupin and Sirius were swelling with guilt. If only Sirius hadn't gone after Peter… he could have taken care of Harry. Lupin on the other hand, was cursing himself for not doing anything at all. Why hadn't he at least checked up on Harry? He was, after all, his best friend's son! He supposed he just didn't want to intrude on what he thought would be a happy Harry living a wonderful life with his loving family… he now saw just how wrong he had been.

**the Dursleys were his only family. **

Harry was grinning broadly, _not anymore_, he thought, looking at his two best friends, Sirius, and the Weasleys.

**Yet sometimes he thought (or maybe hoped) that strangers in the street seemed to know him. Very strange strangers they were, too. A tiny man in a violet top hat had bowed to him once while out shopping with Aunt Petunia and Dudley. **

**After asking Harry furiously if he knew the man, Aunt Petunia had rushed them out of the shop without buying anything. A wild-looking old woman dressed all in green had waved merrily at him once on a bus. A bald man in a very long purple coat had actually shaken his hand in the street the other day and then walked away without a word. The weirdest thing about all these people was the way they seemed to vanish the second Harry tried to get a closer look. **

Harry sighed, "That was really frustrating…"

**At school, Harry had no one. Everybody knew that Dudley's gang hated that odd Harry Potter in his baggy old clothes and broken glasses, and nobody liked to disagree with Dudley's gang. **

"That's the end of the chapter," said Ginny. "That's two down."

Harry groaned. Already so much had happened, and they were only about to start chapter three.

At that moment, there was a loud _pop_! And there was Umbridge. She still looked like a toad (so she was back to her normal self) just a little larger. She was fuming. She stepped towards McGonagall who had her head down, waiting for whatever was to come. She opened her mouth to start screaming accusations at McGonagall for turning her into a toad when Harry stood up. He had said he wasn't going to let anything happen to McGonagall, and he hadn't been exaggerating.

"Professor!" he called loudly.

"Harry!" Hermione squealed, "What are you doing?!"

"Trust me." he said quietly.

Umbridge turned her eyes on him. "What do you want, Potter!?" she spat.

"I want to have a word with you." said Harry, quite calmly.

With a quick glare at McGonagall, Umbridge walked over to Harry who gestured her over into the corner. "You won't tell anybody who turned you into a toad." he said when they got there, firmly, yet quietly.

"You think you can forbid me to do anything, Potter?" she whispered fiercely. "She is going to be out of this school in a heartbeat, and in Azkaban if I can manage it!"

Harry shook his head. As if they would imprison anybody in Azkaban just for transfiguring somebody into an animal. The thought was absurd. "No, I'm pretty sure you're going to change your mind about that."

She glared at him. He held up his hand and held it at an angle which would seem natural to any onlookers, but would be unmistakable to Umbridge. He showed her the words 'I must not tell lies' on his hand.

"If you tell anybody what McGonagall did, I might accidentally let it slip what has been happening in our detentions." he said. "I'm pretty sure Madam Bones won't like this at all…"

"You _dare _blackmail me, Potter?" she growled, a strange glint in her eyes. "I could have you expelled for this! This is outrageous!"

"And I'm fairly sure that this," said Harry, motioning to his hand, "Is illegal." He let that sink in for a moment before continuing. "I'll make a deal with you; if you leave McGonagall be, I might forget what torture you've been putting me through in your detentions."

She glared at him in absolute hate. "Fine!" she spat. "You will regret this though, Potter, mark my words!"

She marched back to her seat, and sat down. "Dolores," said Fudge, "Tell us, who transfigured you?"

She mumbled something.

"Sorry?" said the Minister.

"I didn't see who it was." said Umbridge loudly, while many stared at her in shock. McGonagall looked particularly shaken. All eyes in the room, other than the Minister and his workers (being the stupid lot they are, accept perhaps Madam Bones) found Harry, as he made his way back to his seat on the floor, grinning broadly.

"Shall we read the next chapter then?" he said happily.


	6. The Letters From No One

Disclaimer: I do not own Harry Potter

"I'll read!" exclaimed McGonagall, seeming in a much better mood than the last chapter. Umbridge sat glaring at Harry with a look that said all too clearly that 'this isn't over'.

"Hold on!" said Madam Bones loudly. "This is going to take forever!"

"Tell me about it…" Harry muttered darkly.

"Your point?" asked Fudge, sounding annoyed.

"Is there any way to… er, shorten these books up a little? I mean… are we reading all of every single one?"

Harry hardly dared to hope- was she saying what he thought?- would he, perhaps, be able to keep at least a few details of his life secret from the entire school?

Umbridge looked interested. This might be an effective way to get dirt on Potter a lot sooner than she hoped. She didn't _really_ want to read books all week… and at the rate things were going, reading them all would take multiple weeks. A nasty grin spread on her face; a grin that Harry didn't like at all. "That… is a good idea." she said sweetly. She turned to Dumbledore. "Albus, would you be so kind as to… arrange this?"

Harry gave him a quick pleading look. All he wanted was for this to be over, the faster the better. Not to mention, maybe some of the rule breaking he, Ron, and Hermione had done would remain concealed.

Seeing Harry's look of hope and joy, Umbridge quickly changed her mind. If it made Harry happy, then she didn't want it. "On second thought, Dumbledore-

"Of course I can, Dolores!" Dumbledore cut across quickly, sensing her 'changed mind'.

"Actually, Albus," she said quite sternly, "It isn't worth the trouble."

"Oh, it's no trouble!" he said merrily, just to get on her nerves. "No trouble at all!" He stood up and walked to the pile of books. "Miss Weasley, if you please." he said kindly, gesturing for Ginny for the first book. She levitated it over to him with a simple hovering charm.

He took out his wand and began a complicated and intricate set of movements over the books. At once, they all rose into the air and stacked themselves side by side, in order. He waved his wand again and the bindings disappeared, and a newer, much larger one magically attached itself to the books. In front of Dumbledore was now the thickest book Harry had ever seen, and Hermione was beaming. All the books were now combined into one. The Headmaster muttered a spell under his breath, and large chunks of the book began vanishing. It shrunk and shrunk until it looked like a, more or less, regularly sized book, though still larger than any book Harry would read voluntarily. On the front were the words "The Adventures of Harry Potter".

Harry stared at the book apprehensively. That was still a lot of information about his life… He would have to relive some of his worst memories. He shuddered; something that was not missed by those around him.

"Harry?" Lupin asked quietly. "You're all right?"

"Er… yes." said Harry.

"Harry," said Sirius, "You really are a terrible liar."

Despite his worry for his friend, Ron couldn't suppress his snort. "You really are."

"Thanks Ron." said Harry hotly.

"Oh, just answer the question! –Truthfully, please!" said Hermione.

Harry sighed. "What do you think? I'd rather not relive any of this…" he shuddered again, images of Voldemort's face on the back of Quirrel's head, the eerie voice of the Basilisk and the pain of its venom, the dementors, and the graveyard… Cedric dead… Voldemort rising… the pain of the Cruciatus Curse.

"Harry!" cried Hermione worriedly. "Harry whatever you're thinking of, stop it!"

Harry was pulled out of his memories abruptly. He was shaking slightly.

"You're white as a sheet!" she said.

"What were you thinking of, Harry?" asked Remus, not completely sure he wanted to know the answer.

"N-nothing…"

Ron put his face in his hands. "Yeah, because that's believable."

"I..." said Harry. "I was thinking about… things… that I've, er, had to experience."

Sirius opened his mouth to ask something else, but many were starting to look at them curiously, so he let it drop. He knew that Harry didn't want any extra attention. "Well? Keep reading!"

McGonagall took the book and opened it up. She rifled through a couple of pages before finally finding wherever they were at. "Well," she said, "It looks like this next chapter is in order. No time has passed, so this must be important. "**Letters From No One"**

**The escape of the Brazilian boa constrictor earned Harry his longest-ever punishment. **

Sirius groaned. "What did they do?"

**By the time he was allowed out of his cupboard again, **

Harry put his face in his hands. This was cruel.

**the summer holidays had started**

Harry felt Lupin tense beside him. "Exactly how long were you in there, Harry?"

Harry mumbled something.

"Come again," said Remus through clenched teeth.

"I don't know… a few weeks I suppose, but it wasn't too ba-

"What's that Potter?" snapped McGonagall. "A few weeks?"

"Er…" said Harry, which was answer enough. She was fuming. Too angry, it seemed, to continue reading; for a moment, she had to calm herself down.

"Mate," said Ron quietly. "Were you honestly about to say that 'it wasn't too bad'?"

Harry shrugged. "I've had worse."

"DAMN-IT!" Sirius roared, jumping to his feet. "I don't want to hear that Harry!" he cried. "I don't want to hear that you've 'had worse'. Do you realize how… horrible this is? How wrong?"

Harry stared at his godfather. Honestly, this wasn't too bad… compared to… other things.

Sirius saw his godson's confusion and immediately the heat behind his words was gone. When he spoke again, he sounded broken. "You _don't_ realize… do you…?"

"Really, Sirius, this isn't too bad…" said Harry, before realizing his mistake.

"Then please enlighten us!" cried Mrs. Weasley, who was shaking with anger at how Harry was treated. "What do you consider as bad, Harry?"

Harry felt his face go red. "Er, never mind."

"Potter!" said McGonagall. "Answer the question." she was speaking with a dangerous calm air about her.

Harry was looking at the floor. "I'm sure you'll find out sooner or later… if you keep reading…"

Ginny, seeing what a hard time Harry was having with this, stood up and joined them on the floor.

**and Dudley had already broken his new video camera, crashed his remote control airplane, and, first time out on his racing bike, knocked down old Mrs. Figg as she crossed Privet Drive on her crutches.**

**Harry was glad school was over, but there was no escaping Dudley's gang, who visited the house every single day. Piers, Dennis, Malcolm, and Gordon were all big and stupid, but as Dudley was the biggest and stupidest of the lot, he was the leader.**

"Makes sense, that." said George sarcastically, but the atmosphere was so tense that the attempt at humor was ignored by most.

**The rest of them were all quite happy to join in Dudley's favorite sport: Harry Hunting.**

People were looking at Harry as if seeing him for the first time.

Molly was crying.

Harry sent another death glare at Umbridge for putting him through this.

**This was why Harry spent as much time as possible out of the house, wandering around and thinking about the end of the holidays, where he could see a tiny ray of hope. When September came he would be going off to secondary school and, for the first time in his life, he wouldn't be with Dudley. Dudley had been accepted at Uncle Vernon's old private school, Smeltings. Piers Polkiss was going there too. Harry, on the other hand, was going to Stonewall High, the local public school. Dudley thought this was very funny.**

"**They stuff people's heads down the toilet the first day at Stonewall," he told Harry. "Want to come upstairs and practice?"**

"That GIT!" yelled Sirius, putting his arm around Harry. "I swear, if he touches you-

"He doesn't," Harry reassured quickly.

"**No, thanks," said Harry. "The poor toilet's never had anything as horrible as your head down it — it might be sick." Then he ran, before Dudley could work out what he'd said.**

This helped relieve some of the tension. "Blimey Harry," said Fred, looking genuinely shocked. "You can be really funny if you want to…"

Sirius and Remus were laughing. "He was so innocent, wasn't he Padfoot?"

Sirius stopped laughing. Remus frowned at him. "Moony," said Sirius quietly so that only Remus would hear, "Where did that innocence go?" he asked.

Remus looked down. Where had it gone? The Harry they sat with now was only a few years older than the one they were reading about in the book… and yet… he was so serious, and mature, much more than they had been at that age. In fact, come to think of it, much more than his friends that were the same age, even a few months older than him, were currently. What had changed Harry so much? What horrible things had he been through that would change him so drastically?

**One day in July, Aunt Petunia took Dudley to London to buy his Smeltings uniform, leaving Harry at Mrs. Figg's.** **Mrs. Figg wasn't as bad as usual. It turned out she'd broken her leg tripping over one of her cats, and she didn't seem quite as fond of them as before. She let Harry watch television and gave him a bit of chocolate cake that tasted as though she'd had it for several years.**

**That evening, Dudley paraded around the living room for the family in his brand-new uniform. Smeltings' boys wore maroon tailcoats, orange knickerbockers, and flat straw hats called boaters. **

The girls in the Hall looked revolted.

**They also carried knobbly sticks, used for hitting each other while the teachers weren't looking. This was supposed to be good training for later life.**

McGonagall interrupted her reading long enough to scoff, and shake her head, tutting.

**As he looked at Dudley in his new knickerbockers, Uncle Vernon said gruffly that it was the proudest moment of his life. Aunt Petunia burst into tears and said she couldn't believe it was her Ickle Dudleykins, he looked so handsome and grown-up. Harry didn't trust himself to speak. He thought two of his ribs might already have cracked from trying not to laugh.**

_It shouldn't be a crime to laugh in your own house… _thought Mrs. Weasley. She couldn't help but wonder how Harry was so polite and happy when he grew up with scum like the Dursleys.

**There was a horrible smell in the kitchen the next morning when Harry went in for breakfast. It seemed to be coming from a large metal tub in the sink. He went to have a look. The tub was full of what looked like dirty rags swimming in gray water.**

"**What's this?" he asked Aunt Petunia. Her lips tightened as they always did if he dared to ask a question.**

Professor Flitwick sighed. This must be the reason the Potter boy was always so hesitant to answer questions in class.

"**Your new school uniform," she said.**

Sirius was growling under his breath and Remus looked disgusted. "I hardly classify that as 'new'." he growled.

**Harry looked in the bowl again.**

"**Oh," he said, "I didn't realize it had to be so wet."**

Ginny giggled. This was a side of Harry she had never seen before. She liked it a lot.

"**Don't be stupid," snapped Aunt Petunia. "I'm dyeing some of Dudley's old things gray for you. It'll look just like everyone else's when I've finished."**

**Harry seriously doubted this, but thought it best not to argue.**

People raised their eyebrows at him. He put his hands up in defense, "Hey, arguing with them only got me into trouble."

Everyone narrowed their eyes. What kind of trouble?

**He sat down at the table and tried not to think about how he was going to look on his first day at Stonewall High — like he was wearing bits of old elephant skin, probably.**

**Dudley and Uncle Vernon came in, both with wrinkled noses because of the smell from Harry's new uniform. Uncle Vernon opened his newspaper as usual and Dudley banged his Smelting stick, which he carried everywhere, on the table.**

"What a rude… horrid… awful… nasty… fat git!"

Harry stared at a student girl from Slytherin that he recognized as one of the third years. She had dark hair, and eyes like fire. She looked angry. Was she, perhaps, a Slytherin that actually cared?

**They heard the click of the mail slot and flop of letters on the doormat.**

Many people's faces brightened, realizing that this must be where Harry got his Hogwarts letter.

"**Get the mail, Dudley," said Uncle Vernon from behind his paper.**

"**Make Harry get it."**

"**Get the mail, Harry."**

"**Make Dudley get it."**

"**Poke him with your Smelting stick, Dudley."**

"That's how he handles that situation?" asked Madam Bones, beside herself with fury. "That's not even… that's completely…" she couldn't even find words to do her feelings justice.

**Harry dodged the Smelting stick and went to get the mail. Three things lay on the doormat: a postcard from Uncle Vernon's sister Marge, who was vacationing on the Isle of Wight, a brown envelope that looked like a bill, and — **_**a letter for Harry**_**.**

Sirius looked relieved, he didn't think he could stand listening to the Dursley's treatment of Harry any longer.

**Harry picked it up and stared at it, his heart twanging like a giant elastic band. No one, ever, in his whole life, had written to him.**

"It shouldn't come as such a shock to get a letter…" said Molly with tears in her eyes.

**Who would? He had no friends, **

Ron and Hermione were glaring at nothing in particular. Harry was a wonderful, unique person… and their best friend, and to hear how lonely he had been before he came to Hogwarts… it hurt them.

**no other relatives — he didn't belong to the library, so he'd never even got rude notes asking for books back. Yet here it was, a letter, addressed so plainly there could be no mistake:**

_**Mr. H. Potter**_

_**The Cupboard under the Stairs 4 Privet Drive**_

_**Little Whinging**_

_**Surrey**_

McGonagall paled considerably in her reading. She was the one in charge of addressing the letters. Every year though, she used a self addressing quill, because the time it would take to address them all by hand… but she should have at least read them over! She could have realized sooner…

**The envelope was thick and heavy, made of yellowish parchment, and the address was written in emerald-green ink.** **There was no stamp.**

Arthur opened his mouth, but with a quick glance of his wife, thought better of whatever he was about to say and closed it again.

**Turning the envelope over, his hand trembling, Harry saw a purple wax seal bearing a coat of arms; a lion, an eagle, a badger, and a snake surrounding a large letter **_**H**_**.**

"**Hurry up, boy!" shouted Uncle Vernon from the kitchen. **

"If he wants his mail so badly, he should get up off his fat arse and get it himself!" snapped Ginny angrily.

"GINNY!" cried Molly Weasley, staring at her daughter.

Ginny did not falter under her mother's glare. "It's true." she said stubbornly.

Harry smiled at her, "Couldn't have said it better myself." he said.

"Harry!" reprimanded Molly, though not as harshly as before. "They are your relatives, and even though you don't care for them, you shouldn't-

"I don't care for them?" he asked astounded. He let out a humorless laugh. "I wonder why that is!" he said. "It's not like I have reason to."

Mrs. Weasley was too saddened by this comment to react further. She couldn't help but feel as if she hadn't heard the worse of his life at the Dursleys… and she felt her heart drop at the thought.

**"What are you doing, checking for letter bombs?" He chuckled at his own joke.**

"Pathetic!" the twins chorused together, outraged. "That is an insult to us proud joke makers!"

**Harry went back to the kitchen, still staring at his letter. **

Hermione groaned, "Harry!"

"Why didn't you open it in the hallway?" asked the twins, and surprisingly, there was no humor in their voices this time.

**He handed Uncle Vernon the bill and the postcard, sat down, and slowly began to open the yellow envelope.**

People groaned and shook their heads, beyond words.

**Uncle Vernon ripped open the bill, snorted in disgust, and flipped over the postcard.**

"**Marge's ill," he informed Aunt Petunia. "Ate a funny whelk…"**

"Pity she didn't die…" said Harry under his breath.

"Harry!" cried Hermione, but it wasn't in disapproval, it was in fear. This was the second time Harry had made a comment like this. She felt her heart speed up in apprehension of what was to come. Why did Harry hate his relatives so much? What did they do to him? She looked at Harry, eyes wide, mouth open, unable to hide her fear. They didn't… the thought was almost too horrible to bear… they didn't physically abuse him… did they?

Harry was quick to notice the look she was giving him and asked, "What?"

"Harry," she said quietly, "What did they do to you?" Harry put on what he hoped was an inconspicuous expression, but Hermione wasn't fooled for a second. "Harry," she said warningly.

"N-nothing!" he stuttered, white in the face.

As if she would believe that!

"**Dad!" said Dudley suddenly. "Dad, Harry's got something!"**

"That GIT!" cried Ron.

**Harry was on the point of unfolding his letter,** **which was written on the same heavy parchment as the envelope, when it was jerked sharply out of his hand by Uncle Vernon.**

"**That's **_**mine**_**!" said Harry, trying to snatch it back.**

"That's right, Harry, don't stand for this anymore." said Lupin approvingly.

"**Who'd be writing to you?" sneered Uncle Vernon, shaking the letter open with one hand and glancing at it. His face went from red to green faster than a set of traffic lights. And it didn't stop there. Within seconds it was the grayish white of old porridge.**

"**P-P-Petunia!" he gasped.**

**Dudley tried to grab the letter to read it, but Uncle Vernon held it high out of his reach. Aunt Petunia took it curiously and read the first line. For a moment it looked as though she might faint. She clutched her throat and made a choking noise.**

"**Vernon! Oh my goodness — Vernon!"**

"Dramatic much?" said Ginny coldly.

Malfoy was sneering, this book was proof of the worthlessness of muggles.

**They stared at each other, seeming to have forgotten that Harry and Dudley were still in the room. Dudley wasn't used to being ignored. He gave his father a sharp tap on the head with his Smelting stick.**

The twins paled, "If we ever tried that-

"We'd be disowned!"

"Too right you would be." Mrs. Weasley threatened warningly.

"**I want to read that letter," he said loudly.**

"It's not even his!" said Ginny, incredulously. "Harry's the one who should be able to read it!"

"_**I **_**want to read it," said Harry furiously, "as it's **_**mine**_**."**

Ron and Hermione grinned at each other sheepishly. They knew what was coming. They had been on the receiving end of Harry's temper more often than they would like… Harry could be scary if he wanted… He'd seem real calm, and then without warning, he would explode.

"**Get out, both of you," croaked Uncle Vernon, stuffing the letter back inside its envelope.**

**Harry didn't move.** "**I WANT MY LETTER!" he shouted.**

Sirius shook his head fondly.

"**Let **_**me **_**see it!" demanded Dudley.**

"**OUT!" roared Uncle Vernon, and he took both Harry and Dudley by the scruffs of their necks and threw them into the hall, slamming the kitchen door behind them. **

"Get your hands of my godson!" Sirius yelled in fury.

Umbridge smirked, these Dursleys had the right idea as to the treatment the lying brat deserved.

**Harry and Dudley promptly had a furious but silent fight over who would listen at the keyhole; Dudley won, **

The twins groaned, but Harry laughed, "You don't honestly think I could beat him? He's six times my size!"

**so Harry,** **his glasses dangling from one ear, lay flat on his stomach to listen at the crack between door and floor.**

"**Vernon," Aunt Petunia was saying in a quivering voice, "look at the address — how could they possibly know where he sleeps? You don't think they're watching the house?"**

McGonagall rolled her eyes. As if she didn't have anything better to do than watch their house. Then her face went slightly read, thinking about the first chapter of the book. That's different, she told herself.

"**Watching — spying — might be following us," muttered Uncle Vernon wildly.**

"**But what should we do, Vernon? Should we write back? Tell them we don't want —"**

"If they hate you so much," said Luna thoughtfully, "Why wouldn't they want you to leave?"

"I think they would prefer having me as miserable as possible." said Harry, shrugging.

Mrs. Weasley's eye twitched.

**Harry could see Uncle Vernon's shiny black shoes pacing up and down the kitchen.**

"**No," he said finally. "No, we'll ignore it. If they don't get an answer… Yes, that's best… we won't do anything…"**

"As if that would work!" snorted Ginny, "He's famous! Of course we'd notice!"

"**But —"**

"**I'm not having one in the house, Petunia! Didn't we swear when we took him in we'd stamp out that dangerous nonsense?"**

The quiet that followed was chilling.

Harry had hoped that the more terrible things his relatives did to him wouldn't be mentioned… and so far they weren't, at least not directly. He hoped that the people in the Hall would take the wording 'stamp out' as just a coincidental muggle saying, but his hopes weren't too high, and vanished all together when he saw his friends' expressions.

"Harry…" began Hermione, her voice shaking with fear. "What did they do?"

Harry felt extremely uncomfortable. It wouldn't be so bad if it were just Ron and Hermione… actually, they would probably be the worst, but that was beside the point… but why did everybody else have to hear this as well? This was personal.

Sirius stood up abruptly and grabbed Harry's arm and pulled him to the far corner of the Hall. Remus, all of the Weasleys (sans Percy), Hermione, Dumbledore, McGonagall, and Madam Pomfrey all followed.

"Harry." said Sirius in a low voice. Harry avoided his gaze by looking at the floor, which is why he didn't notice the tears in his godfather's eyes. "Harry… please, _please_, tell me that this is just a strange muggle wording."

"It's-

"Actually," said Sirius, "Scratch that. Please tell me the truth."

Harry hesitantly looked up at all the faces looking at him, apparently terrified of the answer he would give. He could lie… he could say that the Dursley's never did anything… while this wasn't true, they had done a few things sometimes, but never anything truly horrible. He could lie… and yet, staring at all their faces, knowing that it may even be more cruel to tell the truth than to lie, he couldn't bring himself to do it.

"It…" said Harry in a shaking voice. He gulped. "It didn't happen often."

The Weasleys felt as if somebody had just run them all through with a knife to the heart. Hermione had tears flowing down her face. Dumbledore looked positively furious, McGonagall had lost her calm bearing and looked to be in shock. Sirius and Remus had to choke back their wails of agony this piece of information caused them.

"It was never too bad!" Harry said quickly, still shaking slightly, which did nothing to calm everybody down.

The Great Hall was deathly silent, they were all, Harry knew, straining their ears to hear what was happening in the corner, but their words were much too quiet to carry.

"It only happened when my Uncle got really really angry…" he was starting to ramble, he knew it, but he couldn't seem to stop himself. He was just trying to reassure his friends. "Dudley and his gang may have done a number on me, but those weren't so bad…" Harry didn't seem to realize that his rambling was only making everyone listening feel even worse. "My Aunt would sometimes try something… but they were always halfhearted attempts."

Ron and Hermione exchanged looks. They were both cursing themselves. Why had they not noticed? Their best friend returned to this hell every summer, and yet they had never realized…

"It was always my Uncle that… he was usually the one who… but like I said, it didn't happen too often!" said Harry.

Sirius engulfed his godson in a hug. He should have realized… remembering the night Harry discovered him as innocent, he cursed himself. He should have thought it odd… when he had offered for him to come and live with him, and Harry had agreed instantly; why hadn't he noticed the lack of hesitation or the joy in his voice? Nobody should be happy to leave their family… Sirius supposed he had just been too happy that Harry wanted to live with him that he never gave it much thought. Now though, that seemed like a pathetic excuse.

"Harry," said McGonagall faintly, who looked rather ill. "How often do you consider 'not often'?"

Harry frowned. He had hoped nobody would ask that. "Well… er… it was usually over school breaks." he said. "You know… so nobody would notice, like my teachers. Over the holidays, nobody would notice anything… different."

The group gave a collective groan. Ron and Hermione flung themselves at their best friend. Ginny joined the hug, and soon so did the rest of the Weasleys. The amount of care they were expressing for him brought tears to Harry's eyes. Maybe now… maybe Dumbledore wouldn't make him go back to the Dursley's this summer? Maybe he could live with the Weasleys!

"Hem hem!"

The sweet voice caused the people in the corner of the Hall to scowl at her with so much hate; nobody would have been surprised if she had vaporized on the spot.

"We need to get back to the book." she said. Without waiting for them to sit back down, Umbridge used a summoning charm on the book and began to read.

The teachers returned to their seats, but everybody else, all the Weasleys, sat down on the floor with Harry.

The students of the Great Hall did not need to hear if Harry was abused or not. The answer was written clearly on all of the teacher's faces, not to mention Harry's friends.

Malfoy was in shock. Potter wasn't treated like a prince?

**That evening when he got back from work, Uncle Vernon did something he'd never done before; he visited Harry in his cupboard.**

"**Where's my letter?" said Harry, the moment Uncle Vernon had squeezed through the door. "Who's writing to me?"**

"**No one. It was addressed to you by mistake," said Uncle Vernon shortly.**

Everyone on the floor with Harry growled at this. They were not in the mood to hear any more of Vernon Dursley.

"**I have burned it."**

"**It was **_**not **_**a mistake," said Harry angrily, "it had my cupboard on it."**

"**SILENCE!" yelled Uncle Vernon, and a couple of spiders fell from the ceiling.**

**He took a few deep breaths and then forced his face into a smile, which looked quite painful.**

"I hope it was!" snapped Hermione and Mrs. Weasley.

Harry was tempted to tell them that they had been telling him off the whole book for making rude remarks about his relatives, but thought better of it. They looked rather dangerous right now.

"**Er — yes, Harry — about this cupboard. Your aunt and I have been thinking… you're really getting a bit big for it… we think it might be nice if you moved into Dudley's second bedroom.**

Sirius closed his eyes and started counting slowly in his head, trying to calm down. It wasn't working.

"**Why?" said Harry.**

"**Don't ask questions!" snapped his uncle. "Take this stuff upstairs, now."**

**The Dursleys' house had four bedrooms: **

"Four?" whispered Sirius dangerously.

**one for Uncle Vernon and Aunt Petunia, one for visitors (usually Uncle Vernon's sister, Marge), one where Dudley slept, and one where Dudley kept all the toys and things that wouldn't fit into his first bedroom. It only took Harry one trip upstairs to move everything he owned from the cupboard to this room. **

Ron looked ashamed. How many times had he complained to Harry about how little he had? Here was Harry, with much less than him, and not once had he heard Harry complain.

**He sat down on the bed and stared around him. Nearly everything in here was broken. The month-old video camera was lying on top of a small, working tank Dudley had once driven over the next door neighbor's dog; in the corner was Dudley's first-ever television set, which he'd put his foot through when his favorite program had been cancelled; there was a large birdcage, which had once held a parrot that Dudley had swapped at school for a real air rifle, which was up on a shelf with the end all bent because Dudley had sat on it. Other shelves were full of books. They were the only things in the room that looked as though they'd never been touched.**

**From downstairs came the sound of Dudley bawling at his mother, "I don't **_**want **_**him in there… I **_**need **_**that room… make him get out…"**

Mrs. Weasley had to stop herself from swearing at the top of her lungs. She had to keep her composure for her children.

**Harry sighed and stretched out on the bed. Yesterday he'd have given anything to be up here. Today he'd rather be back in his cupboard with that letter than up here without it.**

"That's just sad." Luna said dreamily.

Nobody disagreed.

**Next morning at breakfast, everyone was rather quiet. Dudley was in shock. He'd screamed, whacked his father with his Smelting stick, been sick on purpose, kicked his mother, and thrown his tortoise through the greenhouse roof, and he still didn't have his room back. Harry was thinking about this time yesterday and bitterly wishing he'd opened the letter in the hall. Uncle Vernon and Aunt Petunia kept looking at each other darkly.**

**When the mail arrived, Uncle Vernon, who seemed to be trying to be nice to Harry, made Dudley go and get it.**

"Ah yes," said Fred, "So kind of him." there was no humor there.

"That git." said his twin.

**They heard him banging things with his Smelting stick all the way down the hall. Then he shouted, "There's another one! 'Mr. H. Potter, The Smallest Bedroom, 4 Privet Drive —'"**

**With a strangled cry, Uncle Vernon leapt from his seat and ran down the hall, Harry right behind him. Uncle Vernon had to wrestle Dudley to the ground to get the letter from him, which was made difficult by the fact that Harry had grabbed Uncle Vernon around the neck from behind. **

The trio exchanged looks, though all they could manage was a weak smile. After hearing what Harry had to go through… well…

**After a minute of confused fighting, in which everyone got hit a lot by the Smelting stick, Uncle Vernon straightened up, gasping for breath, with Harry's letter clutched in his hand.**

"**Go to your cupboard — I mean, your bedroom," he wheezed at Harry. "Dudley — go — just go."**

**Harry walked round and round his new room. Someone knew he had moved out of his cupboard and they seemed to know he hadn't received his first letter. Surely that meant they'd try again? And this time he'd make sure they didn't fail. He had a plan.**

Hermione shook her head sadly, knowing all too well that his plans never turned out that great.

**The repaired alarm clock rang at six o'clock the next morning. Harry turned it off quickly and dressed silently. He mustn't wake the Dursleys. He stole downstairs without turning on any of the lights.**

**He was going to wait for the postman on the corner of Privet Drive and get the letters for number four first. His heart hammered as he crept across the dark hall toward the front door —**

"**AAAAARRRGH!"**

McGonagall couldn't bear hearing Umbridge's sweet simpering voice any longer. "I think I'll take the book back now, Dolores." she said hotly. When the book was in her hands, she read the last line again.

"**AAAAARRRGH!"**

People cheered, for McGonagall had yelled that last line. She just couldn't stand Umbridge reading it as if nothing more interesting than growing grass was going on. She yelled the line, partly for the students, and partly for herself. She needed to vent her feelings.

She was not disappointed. The students cheered for their Transfiguration Professor. Her dramatic reading was so much better than the lifeless coldhearted toad's.

**Harry leapt into the air; he'd trodden on something big and squashy on the doormat — something **_**alive**_**!**

**Lights clicked on upstairs and to his horror Harry realized that the big, squashy something had been his uncle's face. **

The twins smiled weakly at that. It seemed that nothing seemed as funny anymore… not since learning certain… details.

**Uncle Vernon had been lying at the foot of the front door in a sleeping bag, clearly making sure that Harry didn't do exactly what he'd been trying to do. He shouted at Harry for about half an hour and then told him to go and make a cup of tea. Harry shuffled miserably off into the kitchen and by the time he got back, the mail had arrived, right into Uncle Vernon's lap. Harry could see three letters addressed in green ink.**

"**I want —" he began, but Uncle Vernon was tearing the letters into pieces before his eyes.**

Sirius put his arm around his godson's shoulders, understanding how lonely he must have felt at that moment. Not having contacts was one thing, but having one and being denied the chance to even know who the person was must have been maddening.

**Uncle Vernon didn't go to work that day.** **He stayed at home and nailed up the mail slot.**

"**See," he explained to Aunt Petunia through a mouthful of nails, "if they can't **_**deliver **_**them they'll just give up."**

"**I'm not sure that'll work, Vernon."**

"Finally, someone has some sense." snapped Mrs. Weasley. She was in a very formidable mood, and nobody spoke to her, afraid that whatever they said might just backfire on them.

"**Oh, these people's minds work in strange ways, Petunia, they're not like you and me," **

"Thank goodness for that." said the twins half heartedly.

**said Uncle Vernon, trying to knock in a nail with the piece of fruitcake Aunt Petunia had just brought him.**

**On Friday, no less than twelve letters arrived for Harry. As they couldn't go through the mail slot they had been pushed under the door, slotted through the sides, and a few even forced through the small window in the downstairs bathroom.**

**Uncle Vernon stayed at home again. After burning all the letters, he got out a hammer and nails and boarded up the cracks around the front and back doors so no one could go out. He hummed "Tiptoe Through the Tulips" as he worked, and jumped at small noises.**

He has good reason to be nervous, Harry thought to himself as he saw everyone's expressions. They looked ready to kill.

**On Saturday, things began to get out of hand. Twenty-four letters to Harry found their way into the house, rolled up and hidden inside each of the two-dozen eggs that their very confused milkman had handed Aunt Petunia through the living room window. While Uncle Vernon made furious telephone calls to the post office and the dairy trying to find someone to complain to, Aunt Petunia shredded the letters in her food processor.**

"**Who on earth wants to talk to **_**you **_**this badly?" Dudley asked Harry in amazement.**

Ginny blushed. She might have sent Harry a few letters when she was younger…

**On Sunday morning, Uncle Vernon sat down at the breakfast table looking tired and rather ill, but happy.**

Not good, was the thought going through everybody's heads.

"**No post on Sundays," he reminded them cheerfully as he spread marmalade on his newspapers, "no damn letters today —"**

**Something came whizzing down the kitchen chimney as he spoke and caught him sharply on the back of the head. Next moment, thirty or forty letters came pelting out of the fireplace like bullets. The Dursleys ducked, but Harry leapt into the air trying to catch one —**

"My Seeker instincts, no doubt." said Harry, trying to lighten the mood. It didn't work that well, but it had been worth the try.

"**Out! OUT!"**

**Uncle Vernon seized Harry around the waist and threw him into the hall. When Aunt Petunia and Dudley had run out with their arms over their faces, Uncle Vernon slammed the door shut. They could hear the letters still streaming into the room, bouncing off the walls and floor.**

"**That does it," said Uncle Vernon, trying to speak calmly but pulling great tufts out of his mustache at the same time. "I want you all back here in five minutes ready to leave. We're going away. Just pack some clothes. No arguments!"**

**He looked so dangerous with half his mustache missing that no one dared argue. Ten minutes later they had wrenched their way through the boarded-up doors and were in the car, speeding toward the highway. Dudley was sniffling in the back seat; his father had hit him round the head for holding them up while he tried to pack his television, VCR, and computer in his sports bag.**

**They drove. And they drove. Even Aunt Petunia didn't dare ask where they were going. Every now and then Uncle Vernon would take a sharp turn and drive in the opposite direction for a while.**

"**Shake 'em off… shake 'em off," he would mutter whenever he did this.**

"Okay, it's official, he's mad." said George.

**They didn't stop to eat or drink all day. By nightfall Dudley was howling. He'd never had such a bad day in his life. He was hungry, he'd missed five television programs he'd wanted to see, and he'd never gone so long without blowing up an alien on his computer.**

**Uncle Vernon stopped at last outside a gloomy-looking hotel on the outskirts of a big city. Dudley and Harry shared a room with twin beds and damp, musty sheets. Dudley snored but Harry stayed awake, sitting on the windowsill, staring down at the lights of passing cars and wondering…**

People looked at him sadly.

**They ate stale cornflakes and cold tinned tomatoes on toast for breakfast the next day. They had just finished when the owner of the hotel came over to their table.**

"'**Scuse me, but is one of you Mr. H. Potter? Only I got about an 'undred of these at the front desk."**

**She held up a letter so they could read the green ink address:**

_**Mr. H. Potter**_

_**Room 17**_

_**Railview Hotel**_

_**Cokeworth**_

**Harry made a grab for the letter but Uncle Vernon knocked his hand out of the way. The woman stared.**

"**I'll take them," said Uncle Vernon, standing up quickly and following her from the dining room.**

"**Wouldn't it be better just to go home, dear?" Aunt Petunia suggested timidly, hours later, but Uncle Vernon didn't seem to hear her.**

The lack of reaction people were giving the book was disconcerting to Harry. He knew why it was like this, he just hoped it wouldn't stay like this for long. It was becoming downright depressing.

**Exactly what he was looking for, none of them knew. He drove them into the middle of a forest, got out, looked around, shook his head, got back in the car, and off they went again. The same thing happened in the middle of a plowed field, halfway across a suspension bridge, and at the top of a multilevel parking garage.**

"**Daddy's gone mad, hasn't he?" Dudley asked Aunt Petunia dully late that afternoon.**

"No, no, no, that happened a long time ago!" snapped Ginny.

**Uncle Vernon had parked at the coast, locked them all inside the car, and disappeared.**

**It started to rain. Great drops beat on the roof of the car. Dudley snivelled.**

"**It's Monday," he told his mother. "The Great Humberto's on tonight. I want to stay somewhere with a **_**television**_**."**

**Monday. This reminded Harry of something. If it **_**was **_**Monday — and you could usually count on Dudley to know the days the week, because of television — then tomorrow, Tuesday, was Harry's eleventh birthday.**

**Of course, his birthdays were never exactly fun — last year, the Dursleys had given him a coat hanger and a pair of Uncle Vernon's old socks.**

If someone had been listening outside the Great Hall, they would have to imagine a horrible beast was inside; the growls that emanated from it was astounding.

**Still, you weren't eleven every day.**

**Uncle Vernon was back and he was smiling.**

"Not good…" Ron muttered.

**He was also carrying a long, thin package and didn't answer Aunt Petunia when she asked what he'd bought.**

"**Found the perfect place!" he said. "Come on! Everyone out!"**

**It was very cold outside the car. Uncle Vernon was pointing at what looked like a large rock way out at sea. Perched on top of the rock was the most miserable little shack you could imagine. One thing was certain, there was no television in there.**

"**Storm forecast for tonight!" said Uncle Vernon gleefully, clapping his hands together. "And this gentleman's kindly agreed to lend us his boat!"**

**A toothless old man came ambling up to them, pointing, with a rather wicked grin, at an old rowboat bobbing in the iron-gray water below them.**

"**I've already got us some rations," said Uncle Vernon, "so all aboard!"**

**It was freezing in the boat. Icy sea spray and rain crept down their necks and a chilly wind whipped their faces. After what seemed like hours they reached the rock, where Uncle Vernon, slipping and sliding, led the way to the broken-down house.**

"That really doesn't sound safe…" said Molly.

**The inside was horrible; it smelled strongly of seaweed, the wind whistled through the gaps in the wooden walls, and the fireplace was damp and empty. There were only two rooms.**

**Uncle Vernon's rations turned out to be a bag of chips each and four bananas.**

Ron looked horrified.

**He tried to start a fire but the empty chip bags just smoked and shrivelled up.**

"**Could do with some of those letters now, eh?" he said cheerfully.**

"That foul, evil, horrible-

"It's all right Ginny." said Harry.

**He was in a very good mood. Obviously he thought nobody stood a chance of reaching them here in a storm to deliver mail.**

**Harry privately agreed, though the thought didn't cheer him up at all.**

**As night fell, the promised storm blew up around them. Spray from the high waves splattered the walls of the hut and a fierce wind rattled the filthy windows. Aunt Petunia found a few moldy blankets in the second room and made up a bed for Dudley on the moth-eaten sofa. She and Uncle Vernon went off to the lumpy bed next door, and Harry was left to find the softest bit of floor he could and to curl up under the thinnest, most ragged blanket.**

Nobody dared speak; afraid their rage would break free at last. They wouldn't be able to hold it in much longer now though, Harry knew.

**The storm raged more and more ferociously as the night went on. Harry couldn't sleep. He shivered and turned over, trying to get comfortable, his stomach rumbling with hunger. Dudley's snores were drowned by the low rolls of thunder that started near midnight. The lighted dial of Dudley's watch, which was dangling over the edge of the sofa on his fat wrist, told Harry he'd be eleven in ten minutes' time. He lay and watched his birthday tick nearer, wondering if the Dursleys would remember at all, wondering where the letter writer was now.**

"Probably sleeping." muttered Severus, with a look at McGonagall.

**Five minutes to go. Harry heard something creak outside. He hoped the roof wasn't going to fall in, although he might be warmer if it did.**

**Four minutes to go. Maybe the house in Privet Drive would be so full of letters when they got back that he'd be able to steal one somehow.**

**Three minutes to go. Was that the sea, slapping hard on the rock like that? And (two minutes to go) what was that funny crunching noise? Was the rock crumbling into the sea?**

**One minute to go and he'd be eleven. Thirty seconds… twenty… ten… nine — maybe he'd wake Dudley up, just to annoy him**

"DO IT!" cried the twins.

— **three… two… one…**

**BOOM.**

**The whole shack shivered and Harry sat bolt upright, staring at the door. Someone was outside, knocking to come in.**

The book was set down, and everyone turned and stared at Harry, who smiled weakly. Uh-Oh.


	7. Confrontations

Harry felt the eyes of everyone in the Hall on him. Honestly, it wasn't such a big deal! Besides, his home life was really none of their business.

Mr. and Mrs. Weasley stood up and directed their attention to the Headmaster. "We would like a word, Dumbledore." said Molly.

Dumbledore, looking extremely grave, nodded his head. He had expected this. He stood up, and Snape and McGonagall followed suit. Sirius and Lupin were up in an instant as well. With a flick of his wand, the doors to the Great Hall opened, and Dumbledore led the group outside.

The moment the doors shut behind them, Dumbledore spoke. "I know what you are going to say. You want Harry out of that house." he looked at them all sadly. "This, however, cannot be arranged."

"You don't care at all, do you?" spat Sirius nastily. "You don't care that he lived in a cupboard more than half of his life. You don't care that he is lied to and deprived of decent possessions. You don't care that… that those… those… monsters actually hurt him!"

"Sirius," said Dumbledore gravely. "I do care. I care more than you will ever realize… but if we move him from that house, the second he comes home from school, wherever that home may be, he will be killed. The protections the Dursley house offers is the only thing that has kept him alive all these years. It is an old magic that cannot be duplicated… at least not for Harry."

"So its okay is it?" snapped Sirius. "It's okay that he is abused as long as he's alive? Its okay that he's not cared for? I don't think that what Harry had to go through counts as living."

"It's either a hellish life at the Dursleys or the boy dies." said Dumbledore firmly. "You are godfather. It's your choice."

"Don't you dare put this on me!" cried Sirius.

"Sirius," said Lupin, and he sounded heartbroken. "Sirius… Dumbledore's right."

"You mean to tell me that Harry should stay in that hellhole?" Sirius roared.

Lupin shook his head, tears in his eyes. "Of course not! He most definitely should not stay there! He's the last person in the world that deserves that! He shouldn't… but he must."

Molly grabbed her husband's hand and squeezed it tightly. "Headmaster… there has to be something we can do. Harry…" her voice broke, "Harry shouldn't have to be put through this! If there is anyone in the world that deserves a loving family, it's him!"

Arthur nodded. "He is one of the most polite and considerate and selfless people I have ever met. How he turned out like that with such pigs raising him, I don't know; I think it's a bloody miracle."

"A miracle indeed…" said Dumbledore quietly.

"Headmaster." said Snape quietly. "If you could step aside for a moment… I need to talk to you."

Dumbledore was especially nervous for talking with Severus. It was obvious the reason Severus wanted to take him aside, he didn't want to speak in front of the Weasleys. Albus sighed; why he didn't want anybody to know the best of him was something that Albus would never understand. He knew that Severus cared for Harry… he would just never admit it. Ever. "Of course Severus." Dumbledore smiled apologetically at the Weasley's and the two remaining marauders. "I'll be back in a moment."

The two walked away from the grief stricken group until they were out of earshot. Severus rounded on Dumbledore. "You promised me!" he snapped. "You promised that… that he would be safe! Have you not learned from your past mistakes? What about Voldemort? What about me?!" his tone was heartbreaking to Dumbledore. "Do you not know the common consequences of living in an abusive house? Have you not realized what abuse does to somebody? Even if Potter won't admit it, even if nobody can see it, I am positive that he has everlasting damage. He will forever have extremely low self esteem. He will likely be more reckless because he doesn't hold his life with higher value!"

Dumbledore sighed. He was feeling half angry and half terrible sadness. He did know what abuse could do. He couldn't even begin to express his pride that Harry turned out the way he did. He felt as if he had made a horrible, terrible, unforgivable mistake in sending Harry to live in that house… and yet… he was angry, because it was either that, or death. "Would you prefer that the boy died?" asked Dumbledore quietly.

"What?" asked Severus, shocked. "Are you daft, old man? Don't you know the risks I have taken to keep him alive? Of course I don't want him dead!"

"Than this conversation is over." said Dumbledore. "There is nothing I can do."

"There is!" growled Snape through clenched teeth. "You could give the Dursleys a piece of your mind."

Dumbledore smiled slightly. "I would… but I highly doubt that will be necessary."

"Not necessary?" asked Snape, perplexed.

Dumbledore nodded his head over to where the McGonagall, Mr. and Mrs. Weasley, Sirius, and Remus still stood. They appeared to be talking, in great detail, of their revenge plans on the Dursleys. "I think Sirius has it covered."

Sirius did indeed have it covered. "And then after we leave them in there for an hour, we'll introduce them to some of Hagrid's pets. Preferably the more nasty ones… do you think he has any more of those Blasted Skrewts left?"

McGonagall shook her head. "They all died… killed each other off from what I heard. I remember that the poor students were simply overjoyed when they heard the news." Sirius looked disappointed, but Minerva McGonagall wasn't finished. "He does, however, breed Acromantulas in the Forbidden Forest…"

Sirius' face brightened at the idea. "Brilliant!" he said.

Remus smirked. With McGonagall and Sirius on the same side, which was a bloody miracle, those Dursleys would get what was coming to them.

Back inside the Great Hall however, Harry was getting his. "They don't try anything anymore," said Harry, trying to calm his friends down. "Once I came back from Hogwarts, they're too scared to try anything. Nothing serious has happened since I was ten years old!"

"You were just a child!" cried Hermione. "I still can't believe you never told Ron and me!"

"Hermione," said Harry quietly, very conscious of the many eyes watching them, "Please calm down-

"NO!" she shouted, making Harry jump. "NO I WILL NOT!"

"She's got a point mate…" said Ron, "This isn't something we can just accept and be calm about." He squeezed his hands into tight fists with anger.

"Look," said Harry. "Can we at least talk about this later?"

"There's nothing to talk about!" snapped Ginny. "I am past the point of a civil conversation Harry! All I want right now is to murder those relatives of yours! Those evil bastards!"

Harry thought it rather lucky for Ginny that her parents weren't in the room.

"Ginny!" Harry said firmly. "They're not so bad anymore. They leave me to myself. I don't have to worry about it so much anymore; and I would really rather not have to remember it either."

This seemed to soften his friends up.

"It's not something I like to talk about, which is why I never told any of you. I'd rather just live and forget about it." said Harry. "It's in the past. It's done. There's nothing we can do about it."

The doors to the Great Hall opened, and in came Dumbledore and company. "Finally!" snapped Umbridge. "Can we get back to the reading?"

"For Merlin's sake woman!" cried Madam Bones, looking with disgust at her colleague. "Obviously they're in emotional distress! Give them some space!"

Harry's friends seemed resigned to at least try and act normal around Harry for the time being. They didn't want him to have to think about his past. The thought it best to distract him. That is, until they heard what Sirius and McGonagall were planning. Surprisingly, McGonagall did not return to the teachers' tables. She sat down on the floor with the rest of them. She and Sirius were muttering darkly to each other, and once the Weasley twins found out what they were up to, which didn't take long, joined in. They were especially helpful in plotting some very elaborate revenge schemes, having had plenty of practice with pranking. Ginny, Ron, and Hermione couldn't help but whisper some suggestions of their own every now and then.

Alicia Spinnet, seeing what they were doing, came to join them on the floor, soon followed by all the members of the D.A. and the dark haired Slytherin with fiery eyes. Appalled by all the people who were on the floor, Harry stared. He was mainly staring at the Slytherin girl. People from her house were looking at her with anger and betrayal, but she looked perfectly happy.

"That's Viola," said Hermione knowledgably. "She's the only Slytherin I don't mind talking to."

Cho came over and sat rather close to Harry, or as close as she could, as he was surrounded by his friends, and Ginny was taking up as much space as she could possibly manage. She had, the moment she saw Cho approaching, laid down. She rested her head on Harry's leg, who looked quite shocked, but didn't protest. Michael was glaring at Harry quite fiercely, but Harry didn't notice.

Dumbledore looked very amused at the moment. "You know," he announced, "It seems House tables are of no use to us today." He waved his wand and the tables all disappeared, leaving plush looking cushions and blankets covering the entire floor. "Make yourselves comfortable!" he said cheerily. "Any volunteers for the reading?"

While Malfoy and his cronies looked positively disgusted at the fact that they had to sit on the floor, Luna raised her hand. "I'll read!" she said. Dumbledore beamed and levitated the book over to her.


	8. Diagon Alley

"**Diagon Alley" **she read, and a few people looked confused. "Oh I see," said Luna airily, "This must be the first time the book skips forward." and she continued.

**Harry woke early the next morning. Although he could tell it was daylight, he kept his eyes shut tight. **

_**It was a dream, **_**he told himself firmly. **_**I dreamed a giant called Hagrid came to tell me I was going to a school for wizards. When I open my eyes I'll be at home in my cupboard. **_

"Wait…" Neville muttered, "I'm confused… what did we miss?"

"Oh, just Hagrid knocking the door down, telling me I'm a wizard and giving my cousin a pig's tail!" said Harry happily.

Quite a few people laughed, and even Minerva cracked a smile. Normally she wouldn't approve of that behavior on muggles, but in this case… she could let it slide.

"Why are you telling yourself it was a dream? asked Dean.

"I don't think I could take the disappointment if I had believed it was real, only to find out that it wasn't." said Harry sadly. "So I tried to pretend it wasn't, so that I wouldn't get too depressed."

A few people looked at him sadly.

**There was suddenly a loud tapping noise. **

_**And there's Aunt Petunia knocking on the door**_**, Harry thought, his heart sinking. **

Hermione shook her head. Poor Harry.

**But he still didn't open his eyes. It had been such a good dream. **

"Come on now, Harvey, open your eyes already!" said George.

"Your thoughts are too depressing!" said Fred.

**Tap. Tap. Tap. **

"**All right," Harry mumbled, "I'm getting up." **

**He sat up and Hagrid's heavy coat fell off him. The hut was full of sunlight, the storm was over, Hagrid himself was asleep on the collapsed sofa, and there was an owl rapping its claw on the window, a newspaper held in its beak. **

**Harry scrambled to his feet, so happy he felt as though a large balloon was swelling inside him. **

Mrs. Weasley smiled. Finally Harry could experience some happiness. She turned to glare at Dumbledore. She didn't believe that rubbish he said about living at the Dursleys keeping him alive. Harry had come to visit the burrow on numerous occasions, and he had never been attacked. She hadn't given up yet. If she had her way, and she was fairly determined that she would, Harry would never be forced to return to the Dursleys again.

**He went straight to the window and jerked it open. The owl swooped in and dropped the newspaper on top of Hagrid, who didn't wake up. The owl then fluttered onto the floor and began to attack Hagrid's coat. **

"**Don't do that." Harry tried to wave the owl out of the way, but it snapped its beak fiercely at him and carried on savaging the coat. **

"**Hagrid!" said Harry loudly. "There's an owl —" **

Ron sniggered. It was funny hearing about how naïve Harry use to be when he was younger, he had forgotten…

"**Pay him," Hagrid grunted into the sofa. **

"**What?" **

Ginny smiled fondly. Oh, Harry.

"**He wants payin' fer deliverin' the paper. Look in the pockets." **

**Hagrid's coat seemed to be made of nothing **_**but **_**pockets — bunches of keys, slug pellets, balls of string, peppermint humbugs, teabags… finally, Harry pulled out a handful of strange-looking coins. **

"**Give him five Knuts," said Hagrid sleepily. **

"Hagrid," said McGonagall, now returning to her seat up by the teachers, "You'll just confuse the boy!"

"Whoops…" he muttered gruffly.

"**Knuts?" **

"**The little bronze ones." **

**Harry counted out five little bronze coins, and the owl held out his leg so Harry could put the money into a small leather pouch tied to it. Then he flew off through the open window. **

**Hagrid yawned loudly, sat up, and stretched. **

Everyone was nearly bouncing in their seats; finally the depressing part of the book was over! Harry was with Hagrid! Surely things wouldn't be so hard on them now; nothing could be as stressful as what they had already read.

Harry, who was reading their expressions, grinned weakly; how terribly wrong they were… he was not looking forward to when they found out about all the danger he seemed to always be in. He didn't think they would appreciate that very much…

"**Best be off, Harry, lots ter do today, gotta get up ter London an' buy all yer stuff fer school." **

**Harry was turning over the wizard coins and looking at them. He had just thought of something that made him feel as though the happy balloon inside him had got a puncture. **

"Oh, come on Harry!" snapped Hermione. "Can't you just let yourself be happy for once?"

Harry shrugged.

"Apparently not." she muttered.

"**Um — Hagrid?" **

"**Mm?" said Hagrid, who was pulling on his huge boots. **

"**I haven't got any money — **

Ron frowned.

**and you heard Uncle Vernon last night… he won't pay for me to go and learn magic." **

"**Don't worry about that," said Hagrid, standing up and scratching his head. "D'yeh think yer parents didn't leave yeh anything?" **

"**But if their house was destroyed —" **

"Brilliant Potter!" said Malfoy, snidely. "Because everyone keeps their money in their house!"

Harry blushed, and Ginny sent Malfoy a withering glare.

"**They didn' keep their gold in the house, boy! Nah, first stop fer us is Gringotts. Wizards' bank. Have a sausage, they're not bad cold — an' I wouldn' say no teh a bit o' yer birthday cake, neither." **

Umbridge sighed loudly, not bothering to conceal her impatience. What was so important about this chapter anyway? Nothing was happening!

Dumbledore, however, looked mildly interested. The spell he had used on the books was suppose to only keep the relevant chapters, so he knew something important would happen… and he was curious as to what.

"**Wizards have **_**banks**_**?" **

"**Just the one. Gringotts. Run by goblins." **

**Harry dropped the bit of sausage he was holding. **"_**Goblins**_**?" **

Hermione giggled.

"We love your reactions to things!" cried the twins. "Quite amusing!"

Harry rolled his eyes, but was smiling none the less.

Sirius was looking at Harry with a strange look in his eye. At least his friends bring him happiness, he thought. Ten years with no friends and constant abuse was extremely degrading… he ought to know. After twelve years of Azkaban, not a single second spent with friends and loved ones went by unappreciated. He knew Harry must feel the same way. Perhaps that was why he would risk anything for his friends… because he knew the value of them… he knew the true value of what other people took for granted every day.

"**Yeah — so yeh'd be mad ter try an' rob it, I'll tell yeh that. Never mess with goblins, Harry. **

"Like anyone would be mad enough to do that!" said Neville, rolling his eyes.

The trio exchanged significant looks. They knew someone mad enough to try that…

**Gringotts is the safest place in the world fer anything yeh want ter keep safe — 'cept maybe Hogwarts. As a matter o' fact, I gotta visit Gringotts anyway. Fer Dumbledore. Hogwarts business." Hagrid drew himself up proudly. **

Hermione sighed. Trust Hagrid to say something that would spark Harry's curiosity in an instant.

"**He usually gets me ter do important stuff fer him. Fetchin' you**— **gettin' things from Gringotts — knows he can trust me, see."**

"I do indeed trust you, Hagrid." said Dumbledore happily. Hagrid beamed, and Umbridge looked as if she had a large pile of dung under her nose.

"**Got everythin'? Come on, then." **

**Harry followed Hagrid out onto the rock. The sky was quite clear now and the sea gleamed in the sunlight. The boat Uncle Vernon had hired was still there, with a lot of water in the bottom after the storm. **

"**How did you get here?" Harry asked, looking around for another boat. **

"**Flew," said Hagrid. **

"_Flew?" _said the majority of the Great Hall.

"_**Flew**_**?" **

The twins sniggered.

"**Yeah — but we'll go back in this. Not s'pposed ter use magic now I've got yeh." **

**They settled down in the boat, Harry still staring at Hagrid, trying to imagine him flying. **

"You're not the only one mate." said Ron, a funny looking grin on his face.

"**Seems a shame ter row, though," said Hagrid, giving Harry another of his sideways looks. "If I was ter — er — speed things up a bit, would yeh mind not mentionin' it at Hogwarts?" **

"**Of course not," said Harry, eager to see more magic. Hagrid pulled out the pink umbrella again, tapped it twice on the side of the boat, and they sped off toward land. **

Umbridge stood up triumphantly. She was glad this chapter had finally provided her with some useful information. "You're not allowed to use magic!" she exclaimed. "You were expelled in-

"He has been cleared!" said Harry angrily. "He should never have been expelled in the first place!"

"I, for one, do not believe the nonsense the Headmaster came up with that year!" said Umbridge. "There is no possible way You-know-who could have been behind the attacks, being that he is DEAD! It must have been Hagrid who opened the chamber-"

Harry sighed angrily in frustration. "Hagrid didn't do anything! It was Voldemort! It was always Voldemort!"

"Enough, Dolores," said Fudge in what sounded like a bored voice, "The book will reveal the truth… in time we will know the answers to everything. The world will learn that Hagrid set the attacks," that Sirius Black is in fact guilty- he didn't say this part out loud, given that the Potter boy seemed very loyal to him. Even with the Veritaserum, Fudge was not convinced. He was a very stubborn man. If he had had his way, Black would have been subjected to the dementors kiss the moment he had been in their custody. Madam Bones, however, had believed the rubbish story that Pettigrew was alive and that Sirius was innocent, and would not have him arrested until the books gave proof otherwise. Fudge knew better; the Veritaserum was just some clever ruse. There was no way Black was innocent. No way whatsoever. He continued, "That You-know-who has NOT returned, what Potter really did the night of the third task in the triwizard tournament, and that there were no dementors in Little Winging earlier this year. Potter will no likely be expelled from Hogwarts with all the evidence against him while-

There was uproar from the students. Harry looked around, amazed, at all the people standing up for him. Literally. All those loyal to him were standing up yelling bloody murder at the Minister. Had Harry convinced all these people? Did they believe him? Harry noticed with satisfaction that Viola, the Slytherin girl, was standing for him as well.

"He will NOT be expelled!"

"YOU EVIL GIT!"

"Harry is telling the TRUTH!"

"You are BLINDED by hatred!"

"I- stop- you're just naïve children- yelling at the Minister- stop this nonsense-" Fudge spluttered.

"Quiet down!" Dumbledore yelled.

The students of Hogwarts fell silent. They wouldn't listen to Fudge, but they would listen to Dumbledore.

"Fudge was right about one thing," said Dumbledore, "The book will reveal the answers. However," he gazed sternly upon them all, looking over the top of his spectacles, "We will never find the answers if we do not keep reading." He turned to Luna and gave her a smile, "Continue, Miss Lovegood."

Luna smiled dreamily and opened her mouth to read.

"**Why would you be mad to try and rob Gringotts?" Harry asked. **

"If you were desperate…" Harry muttered.

"**Spells — enchantments," said Hagrid, unfolding his newspaper as he spoke. "They say there's dragons guardin' the high security vaults. And then yeh gotta find yer way — Gringotts is hundreds of miles under London, see. Deep under the Underground. Yeh'd die of hunger tryin' ter get out, even if yeh did manage ter get yer hands on summat." **

**Harry sat and thought about this while Hagrid read his newspaper, the **_**Daily Prophet**_**. Harry had learned from Uncle Vernon that people liked to be left alone while they did this, but it was very difficult, he'd never had so many questions in his life. **

Hagrid looked saddened. "Yeh could 'ave asked me summat. I wouldn't of minded, Harry."

Harry smiled at him.

"**Ministry o' Magic messin' things up as usual," Hagrid muttered, turning the page. **

"We do not mess things up!" said Fudge indignantly.

Harry couldn't repress a snort, which caused Fudge's face to whiten in anger and a few people to laugh.

"**There's a Ministry of Magic?" Harry asked, before he could stop himself. **

"'**Course," said Hagrid. "They wanted Dumbledore fer Minister, o' course, but he'd never leave Hogwarts, so old Cornelius Fudge got the job. Bungler if ever there was one. **

"I am not a bungler!" he stated crossly.

**So he pelts Dumbledore with owls every morning, askin' fer advice." **

"I do not!"

Dumbledore shook his head, amused. It was attitude like this that gave everybody that impression in the first place.

"**But what does a Ministry of Magic **_**do**_**?" **

"Nothing whatsoever." said Harry quietly. "Well, unless you count messing things up, and ruining everything."

Ron and Hermione looked at him, not sure if they should laugh at that comment, or not.

"**Well, their main job is to keep it from the Muggles that there's still witches an' wizards up an' down the country." **

"**Why?" **

"_**Why? **_**Blimey, Harry, everyone'd be wantin' magic solutions to their problems. Nah, we're best left alone." **

"That's an interesting way to look at it…" said Madam Bones.

**At this moment the boat bumped gently into the harbor wall. Hagrid folded up his newspaper, and they clambered up the stone steps onto the street. **

**Passersby stared a lot at Hagrid as they walked through the little town to the station. Harry couldn't blame them. Not only was Hagrid twice as tall as anyone else, he kept pointing at perfectly ordinary things like parking meters and saying loudly, "See that, Harry? Things these Muggles dream up, eh?" **

All the muggleborns giggled.

"**Hagrid," said Harry, panting a bit as he ran to keep up, "did you say there are **_**dragons **_**at Gringotts?" **

Charlie Weasley turned to his brother, white in the face, "Please tell me there's not."

"I don't know," said Bill, looking genuinely curious. "I don't know all the secrets of Gringotts, not even close."

"**Well, so they say," said Hagrid. "Crikey, I'd like a dragon." **

The trio groaned quietly.

"**You'd **_**like **_**one?" **

"**Wanted one ever since I was a kid — here we go." **

Harry hoped against hope that Norbert wouldn't be mentioned. That would get them in serious trouble with the Ministry. It was illegal to own a dragon, and Hagrid… would that crime be serious enough to be thrown in Azkaban? Harry paled at the thought. He really hoped that dragon wouldn't be mentioned.

**They had reached the station. There was a train to London in five minutes' time. Hagrid, who didn't understand "Muggle money," as he called it, gave the bills to Harry so he could buy their tickets. **

**People stared more than ever on the train. Hagrid took up two seats and sat knitting what looked like a canary-yellow circus tent.**

"**Still got yer letter, Harry?" he asked as he counted stitches. **

"Yep!" said Harry happily. "Still have it!"

"Me too!" chorused the muggleborns.

Draco rolled his eyes. Idiots. He'd gotten rid of his ages ago.

**Harry took the parchment envelope out of his pocket. **

"**Good," said Hagrid. "There's a list there of everything yeh need." **

**Harry unfolded a second piece of paper he hadn't noticed the night before, and read: **

_**HOGWARTS SCHOOL of WITCHCRAFT and WIZARDRY **_

_**UNIFORM **_

_**First-year students will require: **_

_**1. Three sets of plain work robes (black) **_

_**2. One plain pointed hat (black) for day wear **_

_**3. One pair of protective gloves (dragon hide or similar) **_

_**4. One winter cloak (black, silver fastenings) **_

_**Please note that all pupils' clothes should carry name tags **_

_**COURSE BOOKS **_

_**All students should have a copy of each of the following: **_

_**The Standard Book of Spells (Grade 1)by Miranda Goshawk **_

_**A History of Magic by Bathilda Bagshot **_

_**Magical Theory by Adalbert Waffling **_

_**A Beginners' Guide to Transfiguration by Emeric Switch **_

_**One Thousand Magical Herbs and Fungi by Phyllida Spore **_

_**Magical Drafts and Potions by Arsenius Jigger **_

_**Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them by Newt Scamander **_

_**The Dark Forces: A Guide to Self-Protection by Quentin Trimble **_

_**OTHER EQUIPMENT **_

_**1 wand **_

_**1 cauldron (pewter, standard size 2) **_

_**1 set of glass or crystal phials **_

_**1 telescope set **_

_**1 brass scales **_

_**Students may also bring an owl OR a cat OR a toad **_

_**PARENTS ARE REMINDED THAT FIRST YEARS ARE NOT ALLOWED THEIR OWN BROOMSTICKS **_

"Unless you're Saint Potter!" Draco spat nastily, though quietly, so nobody could hear.

"**Can we buy all this in London?" Harry wondered aloud. **

"**If yeh know where to go," said Hagrid. **

**Harry had never been to London before. Although Hagrid seemed to know where he was going, he was obviously not used to getting there in an ordinary way. He got stuck in the ticket barrier on the Underground, and complained loudly that the seats were too small and the trains too slow. **

The trio all laughed, typical Hagrid.

"**I don't know how the Muggles manage without magic," he said as they climbed a broken-down escalator that led up to a bustling road lined with shops. **

"It really is amazing," said Arthur Weasley, "The things these muggles come up with; did you know that they have a thing called veletision? They do! And it runs off of ekleticity! Fascinating, really. They-

But Arthur stopped talking. Molly was shooting him an exasperated look, while the Gryffindors were all laughing.

**Hagrid was so huge that he parted the crowd easily; all Harry had to do was keep close behind him. They passed book shops and music stores, hamburger restaurants and cinemas, but nowhere that looked as if it could sell you a magic wand. This was just an ordinary street full of ordinary people. Could there really be piles of wizard gold buried miles beneath them? Were there really shops that sold spell books and broomsticks? Might this not all be some huge joke that the Dursleys had cooked up? **

"Come on, Harvey!" cried the twins. "Stop being so bloody depressing!" they sounded miserable.

"Sorry…" said Harry.

"Don't apologize!" snapped Mrs. Weasley.

"Er…" Harry was getting confused.

"It's not your fault, dear," she said, smiling at him.

"It is though, they're my thoughts." he said.

Hermione slapped him upside the head. "It's not your fault you thought them though."

"Bloody Dursleys…" Ron growled under his breath.

**If Harry hadn't known that the Dursleys had no sense of humor, he might have thought so; yet somehow, even though everything Hagrid had told him so far was unbelievable, Harry couldn't help trusting him. **

Hagrid smiled at Harry, who smiled back broadly.

"**This is it," said Hagrid, coming to a halt, "the Leaky Cauldron. It's a famous place." **

**It was a tiny, grubby-looking pub. If Hagrid hadn't pointed it out, Harry wouldn't have noticed it was there. The people hurrying by didn't glance at it. Their eyes slid from the big book shop on one side to the record shop on the other as if they couldn't see the Leaky Cauldron at all. **

"That's what I'm talking about!" growled Moody appreciatively. "Good observation Potter. Stick to the details, don't miss anything."

Ron and Hermione grinned wistfully. If only Harry wasn't so observant. It probably would have saved them a lot of trouble… then again, if he weren't, than he wouldn't be Harry.

**In fact, Harry had the most peculiar feeling that only he and Hagrid could see it. Before he could mention this, Hagrid had steered him inside. **

Harry groaned, "My first taste of fame…"

Many people looked at him skeptically. Why would he hate that? Imagine all the attention he would get! In the papers every week! Who wouldn't want that? Most of the people in the room had, at least once, dreamt of being famous. Harry has it handed to him on a silver platter and he can't even appreciate it? He must just be acting like he doesn't like it, for even more attention. Whatever the case, they would find out soon enough; this book would reveal everything. They leaned forward in anticipation.

**For a famous place, it was very dark and shabby. A few old women were sitting in a corner, drinking tiny glasses of sherry. One of them was smoking a long pipe. A little man in a top hat was talking to the old bartender, who was quite bald and looked like a toothless walnut. **

Fred snorted. "It's an accurate description…" he said to his twin, who laughed as well.

**The low buzz of chatter stopped when they walked in. Everyone seemed to know Hagrid; they waved and smiled at him, and the bartender reached for a glass, saying, "The usual, Hagrid?" **

"**Can't, Tom, I'm on Hogwarts business," said Hagrid, clapping his great hand on Harry's shoulder and making Harry's knees buckle. **

"Sorry Harry," said Hagrid, looking a little guilty.

Harry smiled at him. "Its fine, Hagrid!"

The half giant's face visibly lit up.

"**Good Lord," said the bartender, peering at Harry, "is this — can this be —?" **

Harry was glaring at the book.

"That's not very nice, Harry." said Luna airily, distracted from the reading.

"Er… what's not?" asked Harry.

"The book didn't do anything to you." she replied.

Harry frowned. Wasn't the fact that it existed at all enough for him to hate it?

**The Leaky Cauldron had suddenly gone completely still and silent. **

A few jaws dropped. Never, ever, had that place ever been silent. Ever.

"**Bless my soul," whispered the old bartender, "Harry Potter… what an honor." **

Harry snorted. "I imagine I would get quite a different reaction now.

Fred and George grinned at each other. "Ere, look, it's that raving mad boy from the Daily Prophet!" cried Fred.

"Oh yeah! He's Harry Potter! The lunatic that thinks You-know-who is back!" said George.

The twins turned their heads to the Ministry workers, their joking tone vanishing from their voices, their smiles replaced with glares, as they continued their commentary.

"You think he's lying then? You believe the Prophet?" Fred asked George, not taking his eyes off of Umbridge.

"Of course! I mean be realistic!" replied George. "What reason would the boy have to tell everyone that You-know-who is back? It's not like it's the last thing Harry would ever want, you know, considering the bastard murdered his parents."

The Hall shifted nervously. The Weasley twins had a point… You-know-who's return is probably the last thing Harry wanted… why would he joke about that? Why would anyone joke about that? The only reason they could think of, was that he wasn't joking. That it was the truth. They gulped nervously.

**He hurried out from behind the bar, rushed toward Harry and seized his hand, tears in his eyes. **"**Welcome back, Mr. Potter, welcome back." **

**Harry didn't know what to say. Everyone was looking at him. **

Harry shuddered.

**The old woman with the pipe was puffing on it without realizing it had gone out. Hagrid was beaming. **

**Then there was a great scraping of chairs and the next moment, Harry found himself shaking hands with everyone in the Leaky Cauldron. **

"**Doris Crockford, Mr. Potter, can't believe I'm meeting you at last." **

"**So proud, Mr. Potter, I'm just so proud." **

"**Always wanted to shake your hand — I'm all of a flutter." **

"**Delighted, Mr. Potter, just can't tell you, Diggle's the name, Dedalus Diggle." **

"**I've seen you before!" said Harry, as Dedalus Diggle's top hat fell off in his excitement. "You bowed to me once in a shop." **

"**He remembers!" cried Dedalus Diggle, looking around at everyone. "Did you hear that? He remembers me!" **

**Harry shook hands again and again — Doris Crockford kept coming back for more. **

Ron was having an internal battle with himself; he hates the attention… don't be jealous… that's just stupid… he's your best mate…

Hermione rolled her eyes. Really, Harry was just a normal kid on the inside. That is, if you didn't count his selflessness, nobility, and bravery. There weren't many people who had all that… but other than those, he really was just Harry Potter, a boy who wanted nothing more than to be left alone by the world's cruelty.

Harry had his eyes shut in a sort of grimace. I'm nothing special… really… so why does everybody insist on acting like it? Well… he supposed he preferred the praise to the glares and claims that he was, as Fred and George had said, a raving mad lunatic.

**A pale young man made his way forward, very nervously. One of his eyes was twitching. **

Harry's eyes narrowed.

"**Professor Quirrell!" said Hagrid. "Harry, Professor Quirrell will be one of your teachers at Hogwarts." **

"The only acceptable Defense against the Dark Arts teacher this school has ever had." said Umbridge. "Until I was sent, of course."

Harry decided to ignore the absurdity of her last comment, but couldn't hold his tongue for the first. "Acceptable? He was a follower of Voldemort!" said Harry loudly.

Eyebrows raised. "Quirrell, a Hogwarts teacher, a follower of You-know-who? Absurd. Maybe Potter was a lying attention seeking kid after all.

"Personally, I liked Professor Lupin." said Luna with a smile.

Remus looked quite flustered as people started shouting, 'Me too!', and 'He was my favorite!'

Umbridge was seething. The filthy half-breed? The werewolf? Preposterous.

Sirius and Molly however, were thinking about what Harry had said, their faces going pale. Remus was too distracted by the praise to notice what else had been said, but Sirius and Molly noticed. Their teacher was a follower of You-know-who? How come they hadn't heard about this?

"**P-P-Potter," stammered Professor Quirrell, grasping Harry's hand, "c-can't t-tell you how p-pleased I am to meet you." **

Harry groaned and put his face in his hands. Quirrell was there that day, the day Gringotts was robbed. Why hadn't he realized sooner? How could he have missed? It was so obvious the whole time…

Hermione slapped him upside the head again, making Ginny giggle slightly at Harry's reaction.

"Blimey, Hermione, why are you doing that?" he asked, rubbing his head.

"I know what you're thinking Harry, and there is nothing you could have done!" she said firmly. Ginny was looking at them curiously. She shifted her head on his leg so she could see his expression better.

He frowned, "It just seems so obvious now…"

"Of course it does," said Ron, "But this is when we already know what happened, and we're a few years older." When Harry didn't reply, he kept going. "You were eleven, Harry! And look around, does anybody else look like they're having an epiphany? No! Only Moody would come up with something like that, and he doesn't even look suspicious."

Harry looked at Mad-Eye; Ron was right, he looked perfectly at ease. He sighed, "Thanks guys."

"**What sort of magic do you teach, Professor Quirrell?" **

"**D-Defense Against the D-D-Dark Arts," muttered Professor Quirrell, as though he'd rather not think about it. **

How did he ever become a professor?" muttered Remus.

The trio was glaring at nothing in particular. That stupid stutter… and to think, the whole time it had been fake…

"**N-not that you n-need it, eh, P-P-Potter?" He laughed nervously. "You'll be g-getting all your equipment, I suppose? I've g-got to p-pick up a new b-book on vampires, m-myself." He looked terrified at the very thought.**

Harry shuddered, remembering what a shock it had been when he had seen Quirrell speaking without a stutter and without any fear at all. Harry, though he would never admit it, had been quite afraid.

**But the others wouldn't let Professor Quirrell keep Harry to himself. It took almost ten minutes to get away from them all. At last, Hagrid managed to make himself heard over the babble. **"**Must get on — lots ter buy. Come on, Harry." **

**Doris Crockford shook Harry's hand one last time, **

Harry smiled in spite of himself.

**and Hagrid led them through the bar and out into a small, walled courtyard, where there was nothing but a trash can and a few weeds. **

**Hagrid grinned at Harry. **"**Told yeh, didn't I? Told yeh you was famous. Even Professor Quirrell was tremblin' ter meet yeh — mind you, he's usually tremblin'."**

"**Is he always that nervous?" **

Harry scoffed, and Molly and Sirius shared worried looks.

"**Oh, yeah. Poor bloke. Brilliant mind. **

"Poor bloke my arse!"

"Ronald Billius Weasley!"

"Sorry, Mum!"

**He was fine while he was studyin' outta books but then he took a year off ter get some firsthand experience… They say he met vampires in the Black Forest, and there was a nasty bit o' trouble with a hag — never been the same since. **

Harry shuddered again. It hadn't been a hag he had met in the forest…

**Scared of the students, scared of his own subject — now, where's me umbrella?" **

**Vampires? Hags? Harry's head was swimming. Hagrid, meanwhile, was counting bricks in the wall above the trash can. **"**Three up… two across…" he muttered. "Right, stand back, Harry." **

**He tapped the wall three times with the point of his umbrella. **

Harry shook his head fondly, "I thought he was crazy when he started doing that."

**The brick he had touched quivered — it wriggled — in the middle, a small hole appeared — it grew wider and wider — a second later they were facing an archway large enough even for Hagrid, an archway onto a cobbled street that twisted and turned out of sight. **

"**Welcome," said Hagrid, "to Diagon Alley." **

**He grinned at Harry's amazement. **

Others were grinning now as well; they all remembered their first time.

**They stepped through the archway. Harry looked quickly over his shoulder and saw the archway shrink instantly back into solid wall. **

**The sun shone brightly on a stack of cauldrons outside the nearest shop. Cauldrons — All Sizes — Copper, Brass, Pewter, Silver — Self-Stirring — Collapsible, said a sign hanging over them. **

"**Yeah, you'll be needin' one," said Hagrid, "but we gotta get yer money first." **

**Harry wished he had about eight more eyes. **

Harry cracked a smile as Ron shivered. It wasn't funny, really… but for some reason, Harry just couldn't help it.

**He turned his head in every direction as they walked up the street, trying to look at everything at once: the shops, the things outside them, the people doing their shopping. A plump woman outside an Apothecary was shaking her head as they passed, saying, "Dragon liver, sixteen Sickles an ounce, they're mad…" **

**A low, soft hooting came from a dark shop with a sign saying Eeylops Owl Emporium — Tawny, Screech, Barn, Brown, and Snowy. Several boys of about Harry's age had their noses pressed against a window with broomsticks in it. "Look," Harry heard one of them say, "the new Nimbus Two Thousand — fastest ever —" **

Harry smiled up at McGonagall, who's mouth twitched.

**There were shops selling robes, shops selling telescopes and strange silver instruments Harry had never seen before, windows stacked with barrels of bat spleens and eels' eyes, tottering piles of spell books, quills, and rolls of parchment, potion bottles, globes of the moon… **

"**Gringotts," said Hagrid. **

**They had reached a snowy white building that towered over the other little shops. Standing beside its burnished bronze doors, wearing a uniform of scarlet and gold, was — **

"**Yeah, that's a goblin," said Hagrid quietly as they walked up the white stone steps toward him. The goblin was about a head shorter than Harry. He had a swarthy, clever face, a pointed beard and, Harry noticed, very long fingers and feet. He bowed as they walked inside. Now they were facing a second pair of doors, silver this time, with words engraved upon them: **

_**Enter, stranger, but take heed **_

_**Of what awaits the sin of greed, **_

_**For those who take, but do not earn, **_

_**Must pay most dearly in their turn. **_

_**So if you seek beneath our floors **_

_**A treasure that was never yours, **_

_**Thief, you have been warned, beware **_

_**Of finding more than treasure there. **_

"**Like I said, Yeh'd be mad ter try an' rob it," said Hagrid. **

"Yeah," said Harry quietly. "You would be…"

**A pair of goblins bowed them through the silver doors and they were in a vast marble hall. About a hundred more goblins were sitting on high stools behind a long counter, scribbling in large ledgers, weighing coins in brass scales, examining precious stones through eyeglasses. There were too many doors to count leading off the hall, and yet more goblins were showing people in and out of these. Hagrid and Harry made for the counter. **

"**Morning," said Hagrid to a free goblin. "We've come ter take some money outta Mr. Harry Potter's safe." **

"**You have his key, sir?" **

"**Got it here somewhere," said Hagrid, and he started emptying his pockets onto the counter, scattering a handful of moldy dog biscuits over the goblin's book of numbers. **

Bill looked a little nervous; the goblin wouldn't like that…

**The goblin wrinkled his nose. **

**Harry watched the goblin on their right weighing a pile of rubies as big as glowing coals. **

"**Got it," said Hagrid at last, holding up a tiny golden key. **

**The goblin looked at it closely. **"**That seems to be in order." **

"**An' I've also got a letter here from Professor Dumbledore," said Hagrid importantly, throwing out his chest. "It's about the You-Know-What in vault seven hundred and thirteen." **

"Hagrid!" Ron, Hermione, McGonagall, Sirius, Molly, and Remus all groaned in unison.

Hagrid looked guilty.

"What a stupid thing to say in front of the most curious boy in the entire world!" said Molly.

**The goblin read the letter carefully. **

"**Very well," he said, handing it back to Hagrid, "I will have someone take you down to both vaults. Griphook!" **

**Griphook was yet another goblin. Once Hagrid had crammed all the dog biscuits back inside his pockets, he and Harry followed Griphook toward one of the doors leading off the hall. **

"**What's the You-Know-What in vault seven hundred and thirteen?" Harry asked.**

Harry's friends all looked exasperated. "Harry!" they reprimanded.

Harry grinned at them, glad to be taking their attention off of Hagrid, who was looking extremely guilty. To be honest, he would have found out about it soon enough even without Hagrid saying that.

"**Can't tell yeh that," said Hagrid mysteriously. **

Hermione shook her head while making a tutting noise with her tongue.

"I know better now, Hermione," said Hagrid. "I learned me lesson. Never let nothin' slip when yer round Harry Potter or ye'll regret it fer the rest o' yer life."

The teachers all nodded, knowing all too well about Harry's supposed need to know everything. Though, they were slightly glad that the boy was so curious… otherwise… well, he had saved the school on one occasion… saved a few students' lives… helped delay You-know-who's return (All the teachers, minus Umbridge of course, believed Harry about him being back), and he discovered a Death Eater undercover at Hogwarts as well… As much as they hated to admit it, if Harry Potter wasn't as curious as he was, the school would probably be either destroyed or shut down.

**"Very secret. Hogwarts business. Dumbledore's trusted me. More'n my job's worth ter tell yeh that." **

"You're just making him more curious." said Hermione.

**Griphook held the door open for them. Harry, who had expected more marble, was surprised. They were in a narrow stone passageway lit with flaming torches. It sloped steeply downward and there were little railway tracks on the floor. Griphook whistled and a small cart came hurtling up the tracks toward them. They climbed in — Hagrid with some difficulty — and were off. **

**At first they just hurtled through a maze of twisting passages. Harry tried to remember, left, right, right, left, middle fork, right, left, but it was impossible. **

Bill was looking at Harry with newfound respect.

"What?" asked Harry, self conscious.

"I can't believe you even remembered that far." he said.

**The rattling cart seemed to know its own way, because Griphook wasn't steering. **

**Harry's eyes stung as the cold air rushed past them, but he kept them wide open. **

"Of course you did." sighed Hermione.

**Once, he thought he saw a burst of fire at the end of a passage and twisted around to see if it was a dragon, **

Charlie glared at his brother.

"I honestly don't know!" cried Bill. "I don't know all of Gringotts' secrets!"

**but too late — they plunged even deeper, passing an underground lake where huge stalactites and stalagmites grew from the ceiling and floor. **

"**I never know," Harry called to Hagrid over the noise of the cart, "what's the difference between a stalagmite and a stalactite?" **

Hermione opened her mouth, but Harry silenced her, "Hagrid explains it to me quite well."

She smiled appreciatively at Hagrid.

"**Stalagmite's got an 'm' in it," said Hagrid. **

Lots of people laughed, and Hermione's look turned to one of disbelief. "That's not really what you think the difference is now, is it?" she asked Harry.

He laughed. "No, I know the difference now."

She looked a little relieved.

"**An' don' ask me questions just now, I think I'm gonna be sick." **

**He did look very green, and when the cart stopped at last beside a small door in the passage wall, Hagrid got out and had to lean against the wall to stop his knees from trembling. **

Umbridge scoffed, and Madam Bones' hand was itching towards her wand. Honestly, this woman aggravated the crap out of her.

**Griphook unlocked the door. A lot of green smoke came billowing out, and as it cleared, Harry gasped. Inside were mounds of gold coins. Columns of silver. Heaps of little bronze Knuts. **

Many people looked at him in awe and jealousy. Harry looked down, unable to bear seeing the Weasleys' faces.

"**All yours," smiled Hagrid. **

**All Harry's — it was incredible. The Dursleys couldn't have known about this or they'd have had it from him faster than blinking. **

The jealousy disappeared as they were back to reality with an unpleasant bump. They wouldn't live with the Dursleys even if it earned them all the money in the world.

**How often had they complained how much Harry cost them to keep? **

"But they didn't buy you anything!" said McGonagall, outraged.

"They didn't even feed you much!" said Hermione hotly.

Harry felt his face redden. They starved him sometimes… he didn't say this out loud of course. He was not in the mood for an explosion.

**And all the time there had been a small fortune belonging to him, buried deep under London. **

**Hagrid helped Harry pile some of it into a bag. **

"**The gold ones are Galleons," he explained. "Seventeen silver Sickles to a Galleon and twenty-nine Knuts to a Sickle, it's easy enough. Right, that should be enough fer a couple o' terms, we'll keep the rest safe for yeh." **

**He turned to Griphook. "Vault seven hundred and thirteen now, please, and can we go more slowly?" **

"**One speed only," said Griphook. **

**They were going even deeper now and gathering speed. **

"I thought the goblin just said one speed only…?" said Neville.

"I think he meant the cart is uncontrollable," said Hermione thoughtfully, who had never been inside Gringotts, having been raised by muggles. "For instance, if it went down a hill, it would gather speed and momentum and-

"In English, please, Hermione!" said Ron.

Hermione blushed and the Gryffindors sniggered quietly to themselves.

**The air became colder and colder as they hurtled round tight corners. They went rattling over an underground ravine, and Harry leaned over the side to try to see what was down at the dark bottom, **

There was a collective groan from the crowd around Harry.

"Honestly mate," said Ron, "Do you have a death wish?"

Harry paled, and Ron instantly regretted his words. Hermione slapped Ron for his tact, and looked nervously at Harry. He looked to be in a daze, his eyes not seeing anything in the Great Hall, looking past everything, as if he were somewhere else.

Harry's mind was in the graveyard.

"**Bow to death, Harry…"**

Harry clenched his hands, snippets from the night flying through his head.

**Voldemort raised his wand, and before Harry could do anything to defend himself, before he could even move, he had been hit again by the Cruciatus Curse.**

Harry shut his eyes tight, his breath speeding up as he remembered the pain. He had wanted to die. Once. That night, at the graveyard, he had wanted to die. The pain he had felt that night, and the pain that he was remembering now, had been so much worse than death… How little Ron and Hermione knew about what really went on between Harry and Voldemort. Harry hand never told his two best friends that he had been tortured twice that night… he had never told them… but soon they would know…

"**it will be quick… it might even be painless… I would not know… I have never died…"**

Someone was shaking him. Harry came back to the present with a gasp, and saw Sirius in front of him, hands on his shoulders. "Harry!" he cried.

Harry was visibly shaking, and he was very white.

"You idiot, Ronald Weasley!" Ginny was yelling. "What were you thinking, saying that in front of-

Ginny noticed that Harry seemed to be aware of his surroundings again. "Harry!" she said, engulfing him in a hug. Harry winced, the stunning spells to his chest still disagreed with him.

The entire Hall was staring at him. He could not seem to stop shaking. He looked frantically around the Hall, as if expecting to see Voldemort himself, but he was not there.

An image of Cedric, lying spread eagle on the ground, flashed in his vision. He jumped slightly in shock and horror and covered his face.

Sirius was out of his mind with worry. He and Dumbledore were the only two who knew all of what happened that night. He could guess what Harry was thinking of.

Ron looked to be in physical pain. How could he be so stupid as to say that in front of Harry?

Hermione was crying silently. What was wrong with him? What would cause him to act like that…

Ginny, not knowing why Harry was acting like this, hugged him again. Michael did not even look jealous. He could tell that Harry needed it.

Without understanding what had come over him, once Ginny's arms were around Harry, he had begun to feel a burning in his eyes. He shut them tight. He was not going to cry when the entire school was watching. He was still shaking. He felt the eyes of everybody on him. "Please…" he whispered. "Please keep reading…"

Ginny looked at Luna urgently, silently pleading that she would read. Luna, with a worried glance at her D.A. leader, began to read again.

**but Hagrid groaned and pulled him back by the scruff of his neck. **

Molly breathed a small sigh of relief. "Thank you, Hagrid." she said. She was not, however, looking at Hagrid when she said this. She was looking at Harry, who had his face hidden in Ginny's shoulder.

**Vault seven hundred and thirteen had no keyhole. **

Hermione was racking her brains. Why had Harry acted like that? What had Ron said? Something about having a death wish… that couldn't be all though. Harry had never broken down like this before when, however briefly, death would come up in conversation. What had changed? It would have to be something Harry had not told them, because she couldn't think of anything. He had almost died multiple times, but he had never seemed so upset… Out of all the horrors Harry had faced, what would have caused him to act like that? Her mind, for once, was clueless.

Ron was mentally berating himself. He was absolutely miserable with guilt. What had he done? How could he have been so tactless? He really was an idiot.

"**Stand back," said Griphook importantly. He stroked the door gently with one of his long fingers and it simply melted away. **

"**If anyone but a Gringotts goblin tried that, they'd be sucked through the door and trapped in there," said Griphook. **

"**How often do you check to see if anyone's inside?" Harry asked. **

"**About once every ten years," said Griphook with a rather nasty grin. Something really extraordinary had to be inside this top security vault, Harry was sure, and he leaned forward eagerly, expecting to see fabulous jewels at the very least — but at first he thought it was empty. Then he noticed a grubby little package wrapped up in brown paper lying on the floor. **

A few people were starting to recover from Harry's strange behavior, like the Slytherins and a few in the other houses, but all the Gryffindors were still looking worriedly at Harry, who was still shaking.

**Hagrid picked it up and tucked it deep inside his coat. Harry longed to know what it was, but knew better than to ask. **

"Oooh," said Luna, staring at the book in her hands. "It skips a page," she said, "I suppose whatever was there before wasn't too important."

And when she started reading again, the words only confirmed what she had already said. Some time had passed, clearly, but it was still the same chapter.

**Outside the Apothecary, Hagrid checked Harry's list again. **

"**Just yer wand left — **

"We missed Harry's reactions to everything else in Diagon Alley." said a Gryffindor sadly.

A few other people nodded, they had gotten into the book, and were sad that it was skipping forward. They wanted to see Harry happy for once, and Diagon Alley would be sure to at least accomplish that.

**A yeah, an' I still haven't got yeh a birthday present." **

**Harry felt himself go red. **

Molly was staring at Harry, trying desperately to keep herself from crying. Ginny had let him go, and he wasn't shaking so much anymore, but he was staring at the ground, avoiding everybody's gaze. He shouldn't have to be embarrassed to get a present.

"**You don't have to —" **

"Harry…" said Hermione sadly. "It's your first birthday present." she was trying to get him to stop dwelling on… on whatever he was dwelling on in his mind.

It didn't work.

"**I know I don't have to. Tell yeh what, I'll get yer animal. Not a toad, toads went outta fashion years ago, yeh'd be laughed at**

Neville blushed as a few faces turned towards him.

— **an' I don' like cats, they make me sneeze. I'll get yer an owl. All the kids want owls, they're dead useful, carry yer mail an' everythin'."**

Ron looked angry, the first year that Harry had Hedwig he had been forbidden to send letters, and he was not receiving any either. He must have been so lonely with only the Dursleys to keep him company.

**Twenty minutes later, they left Eeylops Owl Emporium, which had been dark and full of rustling and flickering, jewel-bright eyes. Harry now carried a large cage that held a beautiful snowy owl, fast asleep with her head under her wing. **

For the first time in a while, Harry smiled, thinking of his beloved owl.

**He couldn't stop stammering his thanks, sounding just like Professor Quirrell. **

Harry's smile disappeared, and he was back to his glooming mood.

"**Don' mention it," said Hagrid gruffly. "Don' expect you've had a lotta presents from them Dursleys. **

"Don't expect you got anything at all!" spat Sirius, changing Hagrid's past words.

**Just Ollivanders left now — only place fer wands, Ollivanders, and yeh gotta have the best wand." **

Dumbledore understood now. He knew why this chapter was important. It was the first time the stone was mentioned, and the connection between Harry and Voldemort's wands would be revealed as well.

**A magic wand… this was what Harry had been really looking forward to. **

**The last shop was narrow and shabby. Peeling gold letters over the door read Ollivanders: Makers of Fine Wands since 382 B.C. A single wand lay on a faded purple cushion in the dusty window. **

**A tinkling bell rang somewhere in the depths of the shop as they stepped inside. It was a tiny place, empty except for a single, spindly chair that Hagrid sat on to wait. Harry felt strangely as though he had entered a very strict library; he swallowed a lot of new questions that had just occurred to him and looked instead at the thousands of narrow boxes piled neatly right up to the ceiling. For some reason, the back of his neck prickled. **

Moody sat up straighter at this.

**The very dust and silence in here seemed to tingle with some secret magic.**

The teachers' mouths dropped open. They all wanted to ask Harry about this, see if he had noticed anything like this before; it really was incredible. Able to sense magic? Only powerful wizards could do that… they all glanced at Dumbledore. They resolved, in the end, to ask Harry about it later. he still looked much too upset.

"**Good afternoon," said a soft voice. Harry jumped. **

Sirius smiled faintly. It was nice to hear about his godson before he got to know him… he could learn a bit more about him…

**Hagrid must have jumped, too, because there was a loud crunching noise and he got quickly off the spindly chair. **

**An old man was standing before them, his wide, pale eyes shining like moons through the gloom of the shop. **

"**Hello," said Harry awkwardly. **

"**Ah yes," said the man. "Yes, yes. I thought I'd be seeing you soon. Harry Potter." It wasn't a question. "You have your mother's eyes. It seems only yesterday she was in here herself, buying her first wand. Ten and a quarter inches long, swishy, made of willow. Nice wand for charm work." **

Umbridge looked exceedingly bored. What was so important about Harry buying his wand? They were wasting time!

**Mr. Ollivander moved closer to Harry. Harry wished he would blink. Those silvery eyes were a bit creepy. **

Several people nodded in agreement.

"**Your father, on the other hand, favored a mahogany wand. Eleven inches. Pliable. A little more power and excellent for transfiguration. Well, I say your father favored it — it's really the wand that chooses the wizard, of course." **

**Mr. Ollivander had come so close that he and Harry were almost nose to nose. Harry could see himself reflected in those misty eyes. **

Harry shuddered, thinking of the last person who had been so close to him… only his eyes had been red…

"**And that's where…" **

**Mr. Ollivander touched the lightning scar on Harry's forehead with a long, white finger. **

Harry started shaking again… remembering Voldemort touching his face… Stupid, don't think about that, Harry told himself. Then he realized, no matter how hard he tried, he would be forced to think about it soon. Much too soon. He didn't know how long it would take to get to his fourth year, but he knew that it would only come all too soon.

"**I'm sorry to say I sold the wand that did it," he said softly. "Thirteen-and-a-half inches. Yew. Powerful wand, very powerful, and in the wrong hands… well, if I'd known what that wand was going out into the world to do…" He shook his head and then, to Harry's relief, spotted Hagrid. **

"**Rubeus! Rubeus Hagrid! How nice to see you again… Oak, sixteen inches, rather bendy, wasn't it?" **

"**It was, sir, yes," said Hagrid. **

"**Good wand, that one. But I suppose they snapped it in half when you got expelled?" said Mr. Ollivander, suddenly stern. **

"**Er — yes, they did, yes," said Hagrid, shuffling his feet. "I've still got the pieces, though," he added brightly. **

"**But you don't **_**use **_**them?" said Mr. Ollivander sharply. **

"**Oh, no, sir," said Hagrid quickly. Harry noticed he gripped his pink umbrella very tightly as he spoke. **

Dumbledore smiled fondly, Hagrid couldn't tell a lie to save his life.

"**Hmmm," said Mr. Ollivander, giving Hagrid a piercing look. "Well, now — Mr. Potter. Let me see." He pulled a long tape measure with silver markings out of his pocket. "Which is your wand arm?" **

"**Er — well, I'm right-handed," said Harry. **

"**Hold out your arm. That's it." He measured Harry from shoulder to finger, then wrist to elbow, shoulder to floor, knee to armpit and round his head. As he measured, he said, "Every Ollivander wand has a core of a powerful magical substance, Mr. Potter. We use unicorn hairs, phoenix tail feathers, and the heartstrings of dragons. No two Ollivander wands are the same, just as no two unicorns, dragons, or phoenixes are quite the same. And of course, you will never get such good results with another wizard's wand."**

**Harry suddenly realized that the tape measure, which was measuring between his nostrils, was doing this on its own. Mr. Ollivander was flitting around the shelves, taking down boxes. **

"**That will do," he said, and the tape measure crumpled into a heap on the floor. "Right then, Mr. Potter. Try this one. Beechwood and dragon heartstring. Nine inches. Nice and flexible. just take it and give it a wave." **

**Harry took the wand and (feeling foolish) waved it around a bit, but Mr. Ollivander snatched it out of his hand almost at once. **

"He got me right on the first try." said Hermione, curiously.

"**Maple and phoenix feather. Seven inches. Quite whippy. Try —" **

**Harry tried — but he had hardly raised the wand when it, too, was snatched back by Mr. Ollivander. **

"I got mine on the second." said Ron.

"**No, no — here, ebony and unicorn hair, eight and a half inches, springy. Go on, go on, try it out." **

**Harry tried. And tried. He had no idea what Mr. Ollivander was waiting for. The pile of tried wands was mounting higher and higher on the spindly chair, but the more wands Mr. Ollivander pulled from the shelves, the happier he seemed to become. **

Lots of people were staring at Harry who, starting to feel like his old self again, was immediately uncomfortable. "What?" he asked.

"How many did you try?" McGonagall asked.

"I don't know… I lost count." For some reason, everyone was looking at him strange. "What?" he asked again.

"Usually," said Dumbledore, "Ollivander finds the right wand on the first few tries. You must have been a very difficult fit…"

"**Tricky customer, eh? Not to worry, we'll find the perfect match here somewhere — I wonder, now — yes, why not — unusual combination — holly and phoenix feather, eleven inches, nice and supple." **

**Harry took the wand. He felt a sudden warmth in his fingers. He raised the wand above his head, brought it swishing down through the dusty air and a stream of red and gold sparks shot from the end like a firework, throwing dancing spots of light on to the walls. **

**Hagrid whooped and clapped and Mr. Ollivander cried, "Oh, bravo! Yes, indeed, oh, very good. Well, well, well… how curious… how very curious…" **

"What's curious?" asked Dean.

**He put Harry's wand back into its box and wrapped it in brown paper, still muttering, "Curious… curious…" **

"**Sorry," said Harry, "but **_**what's **_**curious?" **

"To Harry, everything dangerous." Ron muttered under his breath so only Hermione could hear him.

"You got that right." she said.

**Mr. Ollivander fixed Harry with his pale stare. **

"**I remember every wand I've ever sold, Mr. Potter. Every single wand. It so happens that the phoenix whose tail feather is in your wand, gave another feather — just one other. It is very curious indeed that you should be destined for this wand when its brother — why, its brother gave you that scar." **

**Harry swallowed. **

As did many people in the Great Hall.

"**Yes, thirteen-and-a-half inches. Yew. Curious indeed how these things happen. The wand chooses the wizard, remember… I think we must expect great things from you, Mr. Potter… After all, He-Who-Must-Not-Be-Named did great things — terrible, yes, but great." **

**Harry shivered. **

So did the rest of the Hall.

**He wasn't sure he liked Mr. Ollivander too much. **

"I know the feeling…" a few people muttered.

**He paid seven gold Galleons for his wand, and Mr. Ollivander bowed them from his shop. **

**The late afternoon sun hung low in the sky as Harry and Hagrid made their way back down Diagon Alley, back through the wall, back through the Leaky Cauldron, now empty. Harry didn't speak at all as they walked down the road; he didn't even notice how much people were gawking at them on the Underground, laden as they were with all their funny-shaped packages, with the snowy owl asleep in its cage on Harry's lap. Up another escalator, out into Paddington station; Harry only realized where they were when Hagrid tapped him on the shoulder. **

"**Got time fer a bite to eat before yer train leaves," he said. **

**He bought Harry a hamburger and they sat down on plastic seats to eat them. Harry kept looking around. Everything looked so strange, somehow.**

"**You all right, Harry? Yer very quiet," said Hagrid. **

Ron and Hermione frowned. Harry use to be such a terrible liar, they all were… but now, Harry was getting better. The thought didn't make them feel very well. Sometimes it was still extremely obvious he was lying, but other times… he was getting practice, and he was improving. They knew all too well what Harry did; he would brood about terrible things for hours, not telling anybody what was bothering him… they knew he still did it, even if he didn't tell them about it.

**Harry wasn't sure he could explain. He'd just had the best birthday of his life — and yet — he chewed his hamburger, trying to find the words. **

"**Everyone thinks I'm special," he said at last. "All those people in the Leaky Cauldron, Professor Quirrell, Mr. Ollivander… but I don't know anything about magic at all. How can they expect great things? I'm famous and I can't even remember what I'm famous for. I don't know what happened when Vol-, sorry — I mean, the night my parents died." **

People were looking at Harry curiously. Did he still think that way? The look on his face told them all too clearly that he did, and he was thinking it at that moment as well.

**Hagrid leaned across the table. Behind the wild beard and eyebrows he wore a very kind smile. **"**Don' you worry, Harry. You'll learn fast enough. Everyone starts at the beginning at Hogwarts, you'll be just fine. Just be yerself. I know it's hard. Yeh've been singled out, an' that's always hard. **

"No kidding." Harry said under his breath.

**But yeh'll have a great time at Hogwarts — I did — still do, 'smatter of fact." **

**Hagrid helped Harry on to the train that would take him back to the Dursleys, then handed him an envelope. **

"**Yer ticket fer Hogwarts, " he said. "First o' September — King's Cross — it's all on yer ticket. Any problems with the Dursleys, send me a letter with yer owl, she'll know where to find me… . See yeh soon, Harry." **

**The train pulled out of the station. Harry wanted to watch Hagrid until he was out of sight; he rose in his seat and pressed his nose against the window, but he blinked and Hagrid had gone. **

"That's it." said Luna.

Sirius stood up and Grabbed Harry before pulling him up as well. "We would like a word. We'll be back for the next chapter in a minute."

Umbridge looked like she was about to protest, but Dumbledore knew what this was about. "Go ahead, Sirius." he said kindly.

Sirius gently led Harry out of the Great Hall, wondering what on Earth he was going to say.


	9. The Midnight Duel

I don't own HP.

Once they were outside the Great Hall (Dumbledore opened the doors for them, much to the frustration of Umbridge) away from prying eyes and ears, Sirius rounded on Harry.

"What's wrong?" he demanded firmly.

"I…" Harry found his throat to be oddly tight. He swallowed. "I can't get it out of my head, Sirius!" he said suddenly. He grabbed his hair in his fists and shut his eyes tight, as if it would help him get the horrifying images out of his mind. "Every night… every night it haunts my dreams! I feel an echo of the pain! I see…" Harry gulped. "I see Cedric… all the time…"

Sirius didn't know what to do. How do you comfort someone who has suffered so much? How can anything you say possibly mean anything to them?

You can't. Words cannot express what Sirius felt accurately enough. All words seemed pathetic and meaningless in his mind. Without saying anything, Sirius hugged his distraught godson.

Harry started shaking again. It was all coming back… and Sirius was holding him, in a way that felt alien to him, as if by a father…

For the first time that Sirius had ever known, Harry had succumbed to tears.

This hurt Sirius more than any wound, more than any physical injury. That Harry was crying was what really made Sirius realize how much this particular memory hurt him. Harry never cried; not in front of anybody at least.

"Harry…" Sirius croaked.

"Ron and Hermione don't even know what happened that night!" moaned Harry hopelessly. "Nor does anybody know what really happened down in the Chamber of Secrets either! This is killing me Sirius!" Harry was clutching Sirius' shirt, his face buried in his shoulder. "I don't want to relive ANY of this! Not Quirrel, not the Acromantulas, not the dementors, and _especially_ not that night in the graveyard…"

Sirius' head was swimming, Chamber of Secrets? Acromantulas?

"I'm sure your friends will understand," said Sirius, trying to make his voice sound reassuring. "Look at the bright side of all this; your friends are right, you are a pessimist."

Harry choked out a small laugh.

"These books will prove me innocent, and you will never have to go back to the Dursleys again."

Harry looked up at this. His eyes were red, but he had stopped crying. "But Dumbledore said-

"Forget Dumbledore!" Sirius growled. "You are going to live with me; you will never step foot in Privet Drive ever again."

Harry smiled, and Sirius couldn't help but smile back. His green eyes were wet, and he had tear streaks down his streaks. His hair was looking untidier than ever, and Sirius couldn't hold back a small chuckle. "You look so much like your parents."

Harry wiped his eyes, looking embarrassed. "I was being silly…" he said.

"Silly?" said Sirius exasperated. "Harry, it's far from silly! You should be proud of yourself."

At that moment the doors to the Great Hall were opened by an irritated looking Professor Umbridge. "We have waited long enough, Potter."

Sirius sent her a glare of hatred.

Harry hastily wiped his eyes again, obviously not wanting everyone to know that he had been crying. Umbridge smirked at him when she saw his wet eyes. "Feeling a bit down, Potter?" she asked sweetly.

Harry said nothing to her. He made his way quietly back into the Hall with his head down. As Sirius and Harry sat back down on the floor, Lupin looked at them curiously. They were both tense with apprehension. Sirius was extremely worried as to what more he would find out about Harry's life that would scare the crap out of him; and Harry was scared to see his friends' reactions to some details he had left out about certain things…

Hermione and Ron looked at Harry worriedly. His eyes were suspiciously red, and his eyelashes looked wet. As much as they couldn't believe it, the evidence that Harry had actually cried was too overwhelming to dismiss. Harry never cried… they tried to think of a time, any time at all, where he had, yet they were not successful.

Unfortunately, Draco had noticed as well. He had come up with a real clever comment that he was dying to yell out, 'Did it rain on your face while you were out, Potter?', but he had a feeling none of the teachers would appreciate this. He would save it for later.

"Who wants to read?" said Luna, holding up the book that made Harry's stomach roll over in dislike.

After a stressful moment of silence, Neville timidly raised his hand. "I-I'll read." he said.

"**The Midnight Duel," **he read, frowning.

The teachers all groaned. It was obvious the book had skipped forward again, and already the first year students were dueling.

Harry stiffened; yet another thing he had not told his godfather about; Fluffy. Sure, he had mentioned it just that morning in the hospital wing, but he doubted Sirius had really heard anything he had said, he had been so stressed wondering if Harry was all right.

**It was dinnertime. Harry had just finished telling Ron what had happened when he'd left the grounds with Professor McGonagall. Ron had a piece of steak and kidney pie halfway to his mouth, but he'd forgotten all about it. **

Ginny raised her eyebrows, what could make Ron forget about food?

"_**Seeker**_**?" he said. "But first years **_**never **_— **you must be the youngest house player in about —" **

Ginny snorted; Quidditch. Of course. The only two things he ever seemed to care about. Food, and Quidditch.

Sirius looked up, eyes wide. "You got on the team first year?" he whistled admiringly. "Wow… you most definitely are your father's son."

Harry smiled.

" — **a century," said Harry, shoveling pie into his mouth. He felt particularly hungry after the excitement of the afternoon. "Wood told me." **

Sirius and the Quidditch players whooped.

"And you're brilliant at it." Cho said admiringly.

Harry blushed, and Ginny shifted uncomfortably.

**Ron was so amazed, so impressed, he just sat and gaped at Harry. **

"What a sight that must have been, eh George?"

"Right you are; Ronniekins gaping with food in his mouth for everyone to see!"

Ron went red.

"**I start training next week," said Harry. "Only don't tell anyone, Wood wants to keep it a secret." **

The entire school, accept the trio of course, burst out laughing. "It's impossible to keep anything secret at Hogwarts!" someone shouted.

"You'd be surprised." said Hermione.

"Oh yeah, the Golden Trio has plenty of secrets!" the same voice replied, sounding excited that all their secrets would finally be revealed.

'Golden Trio?' Ron mouthed at Harry, who just shrugged.

**Fred and George Weasley now came into the hall, spotted Harry, and hurried over. **

"**Well done," said George in a low voice. "Wood told us. We're on the team too — Beaters." **

"**I tell you, we're going to win that Quidditch cup for sure this year," said Fred. "We haven't won since Charlie left, but this year's team is going to be brilliant. You must be good, Harry, Wood was almost skipping when he told us." **

Angelina snorted, "Sounds like him."

Charlie was looking shocked. "You haven't won since I've left?"

"Oh, we've won plenty, Charlie!" said the twins happily. "We will never go wrong again as long as we have Harry on the team!"

Charlie looked at Harry. "You must be good."

Ginny scoffed, "He's only the youngest seeker in a century, why would you think that?"

"Right…" Charlie mumbled, looking embarrassed.

"**Anyway, we've got to go, Lee Jordan reckons he's found a new secret passageway out of the school." **

"**Bet it's that one behind the statue of Gregory the Smarmy that we found in our first week. See you." **

'First week?" a few of the teachers mouthed in exasperation.

**Fred and George had hardly disappeared when someone far less welcome turned up: Malfoy, flanked by Crabbe and Goyle. **

"**Having a last meal, Potter? When are you getting the train back to the Muggles?" **

"Never again…" said Harry under his breath.

"**You're a lot braver now that you're back on the ground and you've got your little friends with you," said Harry coolly. There was of course nothing at all little about Crabbe and Goyle, but as the High Table was full of teachers, neither of them could do more than crack their knuckles and scowl. **

"**I'd take you on anytime on my own," said Malfoy. "Tonight, if you want. Wizard's duel. Wands only — no contact. **

"Mister Malfoy!" yelled McGonagall. "Challenging someone to a duel in your first year is a foolish idiotic thing to do!" she then rounded on Harry. "You better not have accepted, which is equally foolish!"

Ron went red, and Harry stifled a laugh.

**What's the matter? Never heard of a wizard's duel before, I suppose?" **

"Considering I grew up with muggles, that was a really stupid question Malfoy." said Harry.

"**Of course he has," said Ron, wheeling around. "I'm his second, who's yours?" **

"RONALD!" cried Mrs. Weasley. "You don't accept somebody else's duel for them, especially if they don't even know what it is!"

Ron was looking slightly guilty.

**Malfoy looked at Crabbe and Goyle, sizing them up. **

"**Crabbe," he said. "Midnight all right? We'll meet you in the trophy room; that's always unlocked." **

**When Malfoy had gone, Ron and Harry looked at each other. **"**What is a wizard's duel?" said Harry. "And what do you mean, you're my second?" **

"So young and innocent, Harvey!" sighed Fred.

"Never even dueled…" said George.

"I've dueled now," said Harry, shivering slightly.

The twins' grins grew, not noticing Harry's pale face. "You have? Details please!"

"You'll find out in my fourth year… near the end… I dueled Voldemort."

Nearly everyone in the Hall flinched, and the twins' smiles vanished.

"Liar!" said Umbridge in a singsong voice.

"Shut up you hag!" yelled Fred.

Nobody bothered yelling at him, but Umbridge's eyes were budging. Before she could start on a rant, Neville continued, "**Well, a second's there to take over if you die," said Ron casually, **

"Really tactful Ronald," said Ginny coldly. "How can you even say that casually?"

**getting started at last on his cold pie. Catching the look on Harry's face, he added quickly, "But people only die in proper duels, you know, with real wizards. **

"And, as Mister Potter is not dead," said Umbridge, "He was not in a proper duel, therefore he is lying, therefore You-know-who is not back!"

"I'm not lying!" said Harry, angrily.

"Then please tell us, how come you didn't die?" she sounded disappointed.

"I nearly did…" said Harry faintly.

**The most you and Malfoy'll be able to do is send sparks at each other. Neither of you knows enough magic to do any real damage. I bet he expected you to refuse, anyway."**

'I did…' thought Malfoy.

"**And what if I wave my wand and nothing happens?" **

"**Throw it away and punch him on the nose," Ron suggested. **

"I said 'no contact' Weasley, do you know what that means?" sneered Malfoy.

"Since when did you ever follow rules?" asked Ron. "You didn't even show up!"

"**Excuse me." **

**They both looked up. It was Hermione Granger. **

"**Can't a person eat in peace in this place?" said Ron. **

Mouths dropped. Ron… being rude to Hermione? Not that it wasn't new, but this seemed particularly harsh, even for him…

**Hermione ignored him **

"Nothing new," said Ron.

**and spoke to Harry. **"**I couldn't help overhearing what you and Malfoy were saying —" **

"**Bet you could," Ron muttered.**

"I thought you were friends!" said Viola from Slytherin.

"We are," Harry reassured her, "We just weren't… then."

"— **and you **_**mustn't **_**go wandering around the school at night, think of the points you'll lose Gryffindor if you're caught, and you're bound to be. It's really very selfish of you." **

"**And it's really none of your business," said Harry. **

"**Good-bye," said Ron. **

"That was really rude!" said Ginny, frowning. As far as she knew, the trio always got along, sticking things through in anything, no matter how dangerous it got. Knowing that they weren't once friends, well, it really made you wonder…

**All the same, it wasn't what you'd call the perfect end to the day, Harry thought, as he lay awake much later listening to Dean and Seamus falling asleep (Neville wasn't back from the hospital wing). Ron had spent all evening giving him advice such as "If he tries to curse you, you'd better dodge it, because I can't remember how to block them." **

"Real nice advice, Ron!" said George sarcastically.

**There was a very good chance they were going to get caught by Filch or Mrs. Norris, and Harry felt he was pushing his luck, breaking another school rule today. On the other hand, Malfoy's sneering face kept looming up out of the darkness — this was his big chance to beat Malfoy face-to-face. He couldn't miss it. **

"Of course you couldn't." Mrs. Weasley muttered.

"**Half-past eleven," Ron muttered at last, "we'd better go." **

**They pulled on their bathrobes, picked up their wands, and crept across the tower room, down the spiral staircase, and into the Gryffindor common room. A few embers were still glowing in the fireplace, turning all the armchairs into hunched black shadows. They had almost reached the portrait hole when a voice spoke from the chair nearest them, "I can't believe you're going to do this, Harry." **

**A lamp flickered on. It was Hermione Granger, wearing a pink bathrobe and a frown. **

Hermione flushed. She must have been really annoying back then…

"_**You!**_" **said Ron furiously. "Go back to bed!" **

Quite a few people laughed.

"**I almost told your brother," Hermione snapped, "Percy — he's a prefect, he'd put a stop to this." **

"Low blow, Hermione!" said the twins.

Percy however, having been silent the whole time, was frowning. She should have come to him; that was what prefects were for anyways.

**Harry couldn't believe anyone could be so interfering. **

"That's dear Hermione, all right!" said Ron happily.

"**Come on," he said to Ron. He pushed open the portrait of the Fat Lady and climbed through the hole. **

**Hermione wasn't going to give up that easily. She followed Ron through the portrait hole, hissing at them like an angry goose. **

Hermione went red, and people were stifling their sniggers. "Thanks a lot, Harry!" she snapped.

However, Harry was laughing as well. "You really did sound like-

"No I didn't!" she snapped again, ending the discussion.

"**Don't you **_**care **_**about Gryffindor, do you **_**only **_**care about yourselves, **

People looked at her with incredulous looks. Ginny was the first to find her tongue. "Harry? Only care about himself? You must have been really tired, Hermione, because your brain wasn't working right!"

Hermione flushed an even deeper red. "Now that I actually know Harry, those words would never leave my mouth in a million years."

"Oi! What am I, a rotten chocolate frog?" asked Ron.

"Actually Ronald," said Ginny, "You really do only care about yourself."

"Do not!" he said, actually looking angry.

Ginny frowned, she had meant it as a joke. "Ron, I'm only joking…"

"Oh…" he said, "Well, good."

_**I **_**don't want Slytherin to win the house cup, and you'll lose all the points I got from Professor McGonagall for knowing about Switching Spells." **

"**Go away." **

"This is just weird!" said Neville, pausing in his reading. "Hearing you three like this… it's just plain weird!"

"Yes, you've already said that, Neville." said Luna airily.

"**All right, but I warned you, you just remember what I said when you're on the train home tomorrow, you're so —" **

**But what they were, they didn't find out. Hermione had turned to the portrait of the Fat Lady to get back inside and found herself facing an empty painting. The Fat Lady had gone on a nighttime visit and Hermione was locked out of Gryffindor tower. **

Sirius looked a little teary.

"Are you crying?" asked Lupin concernedly.

"No!" he said, annoyed. "It's just… this is their first time sneaking out at night! I'm so proud of them!"

Lupin snorted.

"**Now what am I going to do?" she asked shrilly. **

"**That's your problem," said Ron. "We've got to go, we're going to be late." **

"Late for something the git didn't even show up for!" Ron grumbled.

**They hadn't even reached the end of the corridor when Hermione caught up with them. **"**I'm coming with you," she said. **

"**You are **_**not**_**." **

"**D'you think I'm going to stand out here and wait for Filch to catch me? If he finds all three of us I'll tell him the truth, that I was trying to stop you, and you can back me up." **

Ginny laughed. "Man you were naïve Hermione! Harry might back you up, but Ron wouldn't! At least not then!"

Hermione smiled. "I was a bit… wasn't I?" The two girls laughed together.

"**You've got some nerve —" said Ron loudly. **

"**Shut up, both of you!" said Harry sharply. **

"That's rather rude, you know." said Luna.

**"I heard something." **

"Good job, Potter!" barked Moody. "Staying aware of your surroundings, brilliant."

Tonks whistled. "He must really like you, Harry!" she whispered to him. "That's quite a compliment, coming from him.

**It was a sort of snuffling. **

"**Mrs. Norris?" breathed Ron, squinting through the dark. **

"Yes, It's me Ronald!" said Fred in an abnormally high voice, apparently impersonating Filch's cat.

"Talking to a cat, Ron?" asked George, clicking his tongue.

**It wasn't Mrs. Norris. It was Neville. **

Neville smiled. That was his first adventure with the trio… it had scared the living daylights out of him, but still; he hoped to do something with them again soon.

**He was curled up on the floor, fast asleep, but jerked suddenly awake as they crept nearer. **"**Thank goodness you found me! I've been out here for hours, I couldn't remember the new password to get in to bed." **

"Idiot." said Malfoy.

Harry glared at him.

"**Keep your voice down, Neville. The password's 'Pig snout' but it won't help you now, the Fat Lady's gone off somewhere." **

"**How's your arm?" said Harry. **

Ginny and Cho both smiled; so considerate. Then, noticing each other, they both glared.

Cho scooted nearer to Ginny. "You have a boyfriend, Weasley!" she snarled under her breath.

Ginny was shocked; Cho had always seemed decent, that is until she started liking Harry, which, for some reason, made Ginny despise her guts, but she had just sounded truly vicious. "Not anymore!" said Ginny, smirking. "I broke up with him at the end of the last chapter."

Cho looked positively furious. Ginny felt an odd pleasure for making her feel that way.

The two girls sat there next to each other, each daring the other to make a move.

"**Fine," said Neville, showing them. "Madam Pomfrey mended it in about a minute." **

"**Good — well, look, Neville, we've got to be somewhere, we'll see you later —" **

"**Don't leave me!" said Neville, scrambling to his feet, "I don't want to stay here alone, the Bloody Baron's been past twice already." **

**Ron looked at his watch and then glared furiously at Hermione and Neville. **

Harry chuckled fondly.

"**If either of you get us caught, I'll never rest until I've learned that Curse of the Bogies Quirrell told us about, and used it on you." **

Ginny's lips curled into a smile.

**Hermione opened her mouth, perhaps to tell Ron exactly how to use the Curse of the Bogies, **

"You knew me so well, Harry, even when we didn't get along." Hermione sighed.

**but Harry hissed at her to be quiet and beckoned them all forward. **

"It's obvious who the leader of their little group is," George muttered to his twin.

"I reckon Moody is right," said Fred, "Harry would make an excellent Auror."

**They flitted along corridors striped with bars of moonlight from the high windows. At every turn Harry expected to run into Filch or Mrs. Norris, but they were lucky. They sped up a staircase to the third floor and tiptoed toward the trophy room. **

**Malfoy and Crabbe weren't there yet. **

Harry and Ron snorted.

**The crystal trophy cases glimmered where the moonlight caught them. Cups, shields, plates, and statues winked silver and gold in the darkness. They edged along the walls, keeping their eyes on the doors at either end of the room. Harry took out his wand in case Malfoy leapt in and started at once. **

Moody nodded approvingly, making Tonks goggle at him, feeling a surge of jealousy and respect towards Harry.

**The minutes crept by. **

"**He's late, maybe he's chickened out," Ron whispered. **

"Or," said Ron savagely, "He never planned to show up in the first place.

**Then a noise in the next room made them jump. Harry had only just raised his wand when they heard someone speak — and it wasn't Malfoy. **

"**Sniff around, my sweet, they might be lurking in a corner." **

The Weasley twins frowned. He had made their life hell… then again, it was quite fun to torment him!

**It was Filch speaking to Mrs. Norris. Horror-struck, Harry waved madly at the other three to follow him as quickly as possible; they scurried silently toward the door, away from Filch's voice. Neville's robes had barely whipped round the corner when they heard Filch enter the trophy room. **

"**They're in here somewhere," they heard him mutter, "probably hiding." **

"**This way!" Harry mouthed to the others and, petrified, they began to creep down a long gallery full of suits of armor. They could hear Filch getting nearer. Neville suddenly let out a frightened squeak and as broke into a run he tripped, grabbed Ron around the waist, and the pair of them toppled right into a suit of armor. **

Fred and George couldn't hold back a laugh, how many times they had to run away from Filch… good memories.

**The clanging and crashing were enough to wake the whole castle. **

"**RUN!" Harry yelled, and the four of them sprinted down the gallery, not looking back to see whether Filch was following — they swung around the doorpost and galloped down one corridor then another, Harry in the lead, without any idea where they were or where they were going — they ripped through a tapestry and found themselves in a hidden passageway, hurtled along it and came out near their Charms classroom, which they knew was miles from the trophy room. **

A few teachers raised eyebrows.

"**I think we've lost him," Harry panted, leaning against the cold wall and wiping his forehead. Neville was bent double, wheezing and spluttering. **

"**I —**_**told **_— **you," Hermione gasped, clutching at the stitch in her chest, "I — told — you."**

Everyone burst out laughing; that was so Hermione!

"**We've got to get back to Gryffindor tower," said Ron, "quickly as possible." **

"**Malfoy tricked you," Hermione said to Harry. "You realize that, don't you? He was never going to meet you — Filch knew someone was going to be in the trophy room, Malfoy must have tipped him off." **

Malfoy got many glares. He sank lower into his seat. On one hand, the teachers were glad he didn't show up, on the other hand, the only reason he didn't was to frame other students.

**Harry thought she was probably right, but he wasn't going to tell her that. **

"Of course not!" said Hermione.

Harry chuckled at her expression. She couldn't help it; she laughed too.

"**Let's go." **

**It wasn't going to be that simple. They hadn't gone more than a dozen paces when a doorknob rattled and something came shooting out of a classroom in front of them. **

**It was Peeves. **

Lupin and Sirius smiled at each other; this was bringing back fond memories.

**He caught sight of them and gave a squeal of delight. **

"**Shut up, Peeves— please —**

The twins winced; "Wrong thing to say, Harry."

"At least he said please." Mrs. Weasley said quietly.

**you'll get us thrown out."**

**Peeves cackled. **

"**Wandering around at midnight, Ickle Firsties? Tut, tut, tut. Naughty, naughty, you'll get caughty." **

"**Not if you don't give us away, Peeves, please." **

"**Should tell Filch, I should," said Peeves in a saintly voice, but his eyes glittered wickedly. "It's for your own good, you know." **

"**Get out of the way," snapped Ron, taking a swipe at Peeves**

"Idiot!" said George, slapping his forehead.

"Fred! Don't be mean to your brother!" said Molly.

Fred rolled his eyes. "I'm Fred, Mother."

**this was a big mistake. **

"Too right it was." said George so his mother couldn't hear.

"**STUDENTS OUT OF BED!" Peeves bellowed, "STUDENTS OUT OF BED DOWN THE CHARMS CORRIDOR!" **

**Ducking under Peeves, they ran for their lives, right to the end of the corridor where they slammed into a door — and it was locked. **

"**This is it!" Ron moaned, as they pushed helplessly at the door, "We're done for! This is the end!" **

McGonagall used all her self control to keep from smiling. "A bit dramatic, Weasley." she said.

Ron went red.

**They could hear footsteps, Filch running as fast as he could toward Peeves's shouts. **

"**Oh, move over," Hermione snarled. **

"Snarled? _Snarled?_ Honestly, Harry!" said Hermione.

**She grabbed Harry's wand, tapped the lock, and whispered, "**_**Alohomora**_**!" **

The teachers all paled. She just unlocked a door… in the Charms corridor… McGonagall felt sick. If that's the door she thought it was…

**The lock clicked and the door swung open — they piled through it, shut it quickly, and pressed their ears against it, listening. **

"**Which way did they go, Peeves?" Filch was saying. "Quick, tell me." **

"**Say 'please.'" **

Sirius laughed. "He won't tell them! James taught him that trick!"

"**Don't mess with me, Peeves, now **_**where did they go**_**?" **

"**Shan't say nothing if you don't say please," said Peeves in his annoying singsong voice. **

"**All right —**_**please**_**." **

"**NOTHING! Ha haaa! Told you I wouldn't say nothing if you didn't say please! Ha ha! Haaaaaa!" **

Sirius was laughing at fond memories of the good old Marauder days. Lupin however, had noticed that all the teachers looked scared; he frowned, what was going to happen now?

**And they heard the sound of Peeves whooshing away and Filch cursing in rage. **

"**He thinks this door is locked," Harry whispered. "I think we'll be okay — get **_**off**_**, Neville!" For Neville had been tugging on the sleeve of Harry's bathrobe for the last minute. "**_**What**_**?" **

**Harry turned around — and saw, quite clearly, what. For a moment, he was sure he'd walked into a nightmare — this was too much, on top of everything that had happened so far. **

Sirius stopped laughing.

**They weren't in a room, as he had supposed. They were in a corridor. The forbidden corridor on the third floor. And now they knew why it was forbidden. **

"There's a forbidden corridor on the third floor?" asked Sirius. He narrowed his eyes. "Why?"

"Sirius," said McGonagall, trying to calm down the overprotective godfather. "We warned them, at the start of the year feast, we told them!"

Molly looked just as scared as Lupin and Sirius.

**They were looking straight into the eyes of a monstrous dog, a dog that filled the whole space between ceiling and floor. It had three heads. Three pairs of rolling, mad eyes; three noses, twitching and quivering in their direction; three drooling mouths, saliva hanging in slippery ropes from yellowish fangs.**

"Oh my God…" someone muttered quietly.

Sirius paled, remembering Harry's words of how he had almost been 'eaten by a giant three headed dog'… "What is that doing in the school?" he said faintly.

"We really do have the worst luck, Harry." said Hermione, sounding perfectly normal, not the least bit worried. Having lived through it already though, this made sense. "Out of all the doors on the third floor, we had to go in that one."

**It was standing quite still, all six eyes staring at them, and Harry knew that the only reason they weren't already dead was that their sudden appearance had taken it by surprise, but it was quickly getting over that, there was no mistaking what those thunderous growls meant. **

Mrs. Weasley was whimpering, her hands over her mouth.

Ginny's hands were clenched. _They're right here… they're alive… no need to worry…! _She bit her lip, trying to ignore the worry that was gnawing at her very insides.

**Harry groped for the doorknob — between Filch and death, he'd take Filch. **

"Wise choice…" said Ginny faintly.

**They fell backward — Harry slammed the door shut, and they ran, they almost flew, back down the corridor. Filch must have hurried off to look for them somewhere else, because they didn't see him anywhere, but they hardly cared — all they wanted to do was put as much space as possible between them and that monster. They didn't stop running until they reached the portrait of the Fat Lady on the seventh floor. **

"Good idea…" said Cho quietly.

"**Where on earth have you all been?" she asked, looking at their bathrobes hanging off their shoulders and their flushed, sweaty faces. **

"Must've been a sight!" said Malfoy, smirking.

"**Never mind that — pig snout, pig snout," panted Harry, **

The Slytherins sneered; what kind of ridiculous password was that?

**and the portrait swung forward. They scrambled into the common room and collapsed, trembling, into armchairs. **

"It's nice to know that I wasn't the only one who was terrified that night…" said Neville.

**It was a while before any of them said anything. Neville, indeed, looked as if he'd never speak again. **

"You really can't blame him," said Mrs. Weasley, "I mean, any _normal_" she stressed the word normal, "child would look like that." she eyed Harry, wondering if his excessive bravery was a good thing… or a bad thing.

"**What do they think they're doing, keeping a thing like that locked up in a school?" said Ron finally. **

Molly nodded, opening her mouth, while Sirius looked like he was going to start shouting.

"You'll find out later," said Harry.

"But-

"If I tell you, it'll ruin the story!"

Sirius grumbled. He knew Harry didn't really care if the story was ruined… but he stayed quiet none the less, as did Mrs. Weasley, though it was a close thing.

**"If any dog needs exercise, that one does." **

"Trust Ronnie to make a joke at a time like this!" said Fred, shaking his head.

**Hermione had got both her breath and her bad temper back again. "You don't use your eyes, any of you, do you?" she snapped. "Didn't you see what it was standing on?" **

People looked at her incredulously, "Were you not transfixed by its three heads?" someone asked.

Moody nodded his head; she was Auror material too.

"**The floor?" Harry suggested. **

The twins cracked up laughing.

**"I wasn't looking at its feet, I was too busy with its heads." **

"**No, **_**not **_**the floor. It was standing on a trapdoor. It's obviously guarding something." **

"Good observation Granger." said Moody.

**She stood up, glaring at them. **"**I hope you're pleased with yourselves. We could all have been killed — or worse, expelled. Now, if you don't mind, I'm going to bed."**

"'Or worse, expelled'? Honestly Hermione!" said Ginny, though she was smiling.

**Ron stared after her, his mouth open. **

"That tends to happen a lot." said Harry.

Ron glared at him.

"**No, we don't mind," he said. "You'd think we dragged her along, wouldn't you." **

Cho giggled, "Good one, Ron!"

Ginny stared at her incredulously. She couldn't believe it. She was flirting with Ron, trying to make Harry jealous! Low blow! Ginny was pleased however, to see that Harry took no notice, as he was laughing at Ron and Hermione, who were currently bickering.

**But Hermione had given Harry something else to think about as he climbed back into bed. **

"Here we go," sighed Ron.

"The start of it all." said Hermione.

**The dog was guarding something… What had Hagrid said? Gringotts was the safest place in the world for something you wanted to hide — except perhaps Hogwarts. **

**It looked as though Harry had found out where the grubby little package from vault seven hundred and thirteen was.**

The teachers stared at Harry. He deducted that from only what Hagrid had said, and that the dog was guarding something? They were impressed, despite their reluctance to praise him for doing anything so dangerous. Harry really was unique.

"That's it." said Neville.


	10. Halloween

"Moving on!" Umbridge said cheerfully. "Who would like to read next?"

"Why do we have to do this?" asked Harry angrily. "This is stupid! Reading my life out loud!"

"If you weren't such a miserable little liar, this wouldn't be necessary." Umbridge said sweetly.

Clenching his fists, he bit his tongue to keep himself from retorting.

Zacharias Smith from Hufflepuff, who had nothing against exposing Potter's lies, volunteered to read next. "**Halloween,"**

Harry paled and looked at Mr. and Mrs. Weasley along with Sirius and Lupin. Maybe Harry could claim he had to go to the lavatory or something…

**On Halloween morning they woke to the delicious smell of baking pumpkin wafting through the corridors. Even better, Professor Flitwick announced in Charms that he thought they were ready to start making objects fly, something they had all been dying to try since they'd seen him make Neville's toad zoom around the classroom. **

**Professor Flitwick put the class into pairs to practice. Harry's partner was Seamus Finnigan (which was a relief, because Neville had been trying to catch his eye). **

Neville went red, and Harry looked ashamed. "It's allr ight Harry, I don't blame you." he said sadly.

**Ron, however, was to be working with Hermione Granger. **

"Uh oh." said Viola, the Slytherin, "You two aren't friends yet…"

**It was hard to tell whether Ron or Hermione was angrier about this. **

"How did you three ever become friends?" asked Lupin; he had thought the three of them had always been together.

The trio exchanged worried glances before Harry said, "Oh you know, the normal way."

Ron snorted and Hermione raised her eyebrows.

"Why do I get the feeling, that you three became friends in a way that only you three could possibly accomplish?" asked Ginny. The three grinned sheepishly. "I rest my case. And I'm guessing it was far from normal."

**She hadn't spoken to either of them since the day Harry's broomstick had arrived.**

"**Now, don't forget that nice wrist movement we've been practicing!" squeaked Professor**

**Flitwick, perched on top of his pile of books as usual. "Swish and flick, remember, swish and flick. And saying the magic words properly is very important, too — never forget Wizard Baruffio, who said 's' instead of 'f' and found himself on the floor with a buffalo on his chest."**

George burst out laughing, while Fred turned very red. Mrs. Weasley was glaring at Fred with great intensity.

"Am I missing something?" asked Cho quietly.

"Well you see, third year, Fred-

George's mouth was suddenly covered by Fred's hand, who looked quite flustered.

"Aw come on, Fred!" said Ron, who hadn't heard about whatever this incident was.

"It was nothing," said Fred, still struggling to keep his hand over George's mouth who was having a fit of silent laughter.

"Nothing!? That buffalo demolished the kitchen!" cried Mrs. Weasley.

The Hall erupted in hysterical laughter; Sirius was laughing the loudest.

Finally Fred gave up and let go of George, who was crying with laughter so hard now, that he could barely even speak. "He accidentally- spell went wrong- said 's'- suddenly- buffalo- mom was furious- destroyed the kitchen- it was so funny!"

Fred had his arms crossed crossed mumbling something about 'nearly squished me to death too'.

Ginny was giggling, and Harry smiled at her.

**It was very difficult. **

"Honestly!" said Hermione, "It wasn't too hard!"

"Well, you're bloody brilliant!" said Ron.

**Harry and Seamus swished and flicked, but the feather they were supposed to be sending skyward just lay on the desktop. Seamus got so impatient that he prodded it with his wand and set fire to it — Harry had to put it out with his hat.**

"Slick!" Draco snickered.

**Ron, at the next table, wasn't having much more luck.**"**Wingardium Leviosa!" he shouted, waving his long arms like a windmill.**

"Does 'swish and flick' ring a bell?" asked Harry, smirking. Ron went red.

The teachers were all smiling sadly, not even close to forgetting all they had learned about Harry's home life. They were glad that Harry had such good friends.

"**You're saying it wrong," Harry heard Hermione snap. **

"You could have been a bit nicer, Hermione." pointed out Ron.

**"It's Wing-gar-dium Levi-o-sa, make the 'gar' nice and long."**

"**You do it, then, if you're so clever," Ron snarled.**

"Did you really just challenge Granger?" asked Malfoy. "That was probably the sorriest thing I have ever heard of you doing, Weasley! And that includes your absurd choice to join the Gryffindor Quidditch team!"

Harry was on his feet. "Shut it, Malfoy!"

"Mister Potter, control yourself!" cried Umbridge.

Ron had gone very red.

"He was provoked, Dolores!" snapped McGonagall.

"Mister Smith, please continue." said Umbridge, not the least bit phased.

**Hermione rolled up the sleeves of her gown, flicked her wand, and said, "Wingardium Leviosa!"** **Their feather rose off the desk and hovered about four feet above their heads.**

A few people whistled. "Wow… her first try…"

"**Oh, well done!" cried Professor Flitwick, clapping. "Everyone see here, Miss Granger's done it!"**

**Ron was in a very bad mood by the end of the class.**

"You can imagine," Ron mumbled, "She just showed me up in front of the entire class, and spent the rest of class time explaining how simple it was."

Hermione looked a little guilty. She could see why Harry and Ron hadn't really liked her at first…

"**It's no wonder no one can stand her," he said to Harry as they pushed their way into the crowded corridor, "she's a nightmare, honestly."**

"Ronald!" cried Mrs. Weasley, but Hermione was laughing.

"It's fine Mrs. Weasley," she giggled. "I really was a nightmare back then."

To say that Ron looked relieved was an understatement.

**Someone knocked into Harry as they hurried past him. It was Hermione. Harry caught a glimpse of her face — and was startled to see that she was in tears.**

Ron was looking extremely guilty. "Hermione, I am so sorry, I shouldn't have-

"No, you shouldn't have," she snapped, but then her face softened. "But I think you made up for it." She looked at Harry. "Both of you."

"But… Harry didn't do anything!" said Ron, confused.

Harry looked miserable. "No, she's right Ron."

The teachers were looking proud; the boy was so humble.

"I may not have been as outright rude as you," he said, "But I didn't stop you either. That's just as bad." Harry looked ten times as guilty as Ron.

"Harry…" said Hermione. "It's all right you know, I forgave you both years ago-

"It's not!" he said miserably. "It's far from it! I never should have-

Hermione slapped him, and he looked at her, stunned. "Shut up, you noble prat!" she cried. "You both saved my life! I think that more than makes up for it!"

Lupin paled. Saved her life? What- how- what happened?

"**I think she heard you."**

Harry slumped in his seat, full of guilt.

"**So?" said Ron, but he looked a bit uncomfortable. "She must've noticed she's got no friends."**

Hermione smiled at Harry and Ron, "I do now."

**Hermione didn't turn up for the next class and wasn't seen all afternoon. On their way down to the Great Hall for the Halloween feast, Harry and Ron overheard Parvati Patil telling her friend Lavender that Hermione was crying in the girls' bathroom and wanted to be left alone. **

"This…" said George quietly, "Is quite depressing."

"Tell me about it!" said Fred. "If those three can't get along, than there's no hope for the rest of us. They're closer than anybody!"

**Ron looked still more awkward at this, but a moment later they had entered the Great Hall, where the Halloween decorations put Hermione out of their minds.**

Harry opened his mouth to apologize, but Hermione grabbed and squeezed his hand reassuringly.

**A thousand live bats fluttered from the walls and ceiling while a thousand more swooped over the tables in low black clouds, making the candles in the pumpkins stutter. The feast appeared suddenly on the golden plates, as it had at the start-of-term banquet.**

**Harry was just helping himself to a baked potato when Professor Quirrell came sprinting into the hall, his turban askew and terror on his face. **

"Oh no… what happened?" Mrs. Weasley groaned.

**Everyone stared as he reached Professor Dumbledore's chair, slumped against the table, and gasped, "Troll — in the dungeons — thought you ought to know."**

Evident shock showed on many faces.

"WHAT WAS A TROLL DOING IN THE SCHOOL?" cried Molly Weasley.

Sirius however, paled to the point of death. This was it. This was one of the times Harry had mentioned to him; the first time he had nearly died. He wasn't sure if he wanted to hear this.

**He then sank to the floor in a dead faint.**

The teachers and trio scowled, but none more than Harry. Something Sirius was quick to notice. He leaned over to Lupin and whispered to him, "What's up with Quirrell?"

Lupin only shrugged, "Didn't Harry say something about him being a follower of Voldemort?"

"Oh, yeah…" Sirius said faintly, looking sick.

**There was an uproar. It took several purple firecrackers exploding from the end of Professor Dumbledore's wand to bring silence.** "**Prefects," he rumbled, "lead your Houses back to the dormitories immediately!"**

**Percy was in his element.**

Percy puffed out his chest importantly. Without him, the Gryffindors would have been a mess, not knowing what to do or where to go.

"**Follow me! Stick together, first years! No need to fear the troll if you follow my orders! Stay close behind me, now. Make way, first years coming through! Excuse me, I'm a prefect!"**

"Prat." the twins muttered darkly.

"**How could a troll get in?" Harry asked as they climbed the stairs.**

"**Don't ask me, they're supposed to be really stupid," said Ron. "Maybe Peeves let it in for a Halloween joke."**

McGonagall shook her head; even Peeves wouldn't stoop so low as to actually put the students in danger, she knew that, in reality, he was very fond of the kids.

**They passed different groups of people hurrying in different directions. As they jostled their way through a crowd of confused Hufflepuffs, Harry suddenly grabbed Ron's arm.** "**I've just thought — Hermione."**

Hermione grinned weakly. Without Harry and Ron… she would have died in her first year… alone… friendless… and in a bathroom no less.

"**What about her?"**

Ron shook his head in shame.

"**She doesn't know about the troll."**

**Ron bit his lip.**

"**Oh, all right," he snapped. "But Percy'd better not see us."**

**Ducking down, they joined the Hufflepuffs going the other way, slipped down a deserted side corridor, and hurried off toward the girls' bathroom. They had just turned the corner when they heard quick footsteps behind them.**

"**Percy!" hissed Ron, pulling Harry behind a large stone griffin.**

**Peering around it, however, they saw not Percy but Snape. He crossed the corridor and disappeared from view.**

"**What's he doing?" Harry whispered. "Why isn't he down in the dungeons with the rest of the teachers?"**

"Yeah…" said Sirius, "Why is that?"

"**Search me."**

**Quietly as possible, they crept along the next corridor after Snape's fading footsteps.**

"**He's heading for the third floor," Harry said, but Ron held up his hand.**

Remus raised his eyebrows. He knew that there was no way Snape would still be teaching if he had been up to something, but it was awfully suspicious.

"**Can you smell something?"**

**Harry sniffed and a foul stench reached his nostrils, a mixture of old socks and the kind of public toilet no one seems to clean.**

"Uh oh…" whispered Ginny, scooting away from Cho and closer to Harry. Cho, too full of worry, did not even notice.

**And then they heard it — a low grunting, and the shuffling footfalls of gigantic feet. Ron pointed — at the end of a passage to the left, something huge was moving toward them. They shrank into the shadows and watched as it emerged into a patch of moonlight.**

"I think its left the dungeons…" the twins said faintly.

**It was a horrible sight. Twelve feet tall, its skin was a dull, granite gray, its great lumpy body like a boulder with its small bald head perched on top like a coconut. It had short legs thick as tree trunks with flat, horny feet. The smell coming from it was incredible. It was holding a huge wooden club, which dragged along the floor because its arms were so long.**

McGonagall would never get the image of the trio standing next to the knocked out troll in a girl's bathroom out of her head as long as she lived. They're fine, she told herself.

**The troll stopped next to a doorway and peered inside. It waggled its long ears, making up its tiny mind, then slouched slowly into the room.**

"**The keys in the lock," Harry muttered. "We could lock it in."**

Sirius perked up, "Good idea."

Hermione paled.

"**Good idea," said Ron nervously.**

**They edged toward the open door, mouths dry, praying the troll wasn't about to come out of it. With one great leap, Harry managed to grab the key, slam the door, and lock it.**

Sirius was looking immensely relieved. That wasn't so bad; clearly Harry had been exaggerating.

"**Yes!"**

**Flushed with their victory, they started to run back up the passage, but as they reached the corner they heard something that made their hearts stop — a high, petrified scream — and it was coming from the chamber they'd just chained up.**

Sirius' face fell… apparently not.

"**Oh, no," said Ron, pale as the Bloody Baron.**

"**It's the girls' bathroom!" Harry gasped.**

"**Hermione!" they said together.**

Lupin closed his eyes in anticipation, his stomach flipping uncomfortably.

**It was the last thing they wanted to do, but what choice did they have? **

"Thank you…" Hermione whispered to her two best friends.

**Wheeling around, they sprinted back to the door and turned the key, fumbling in their panic. Harry pulled the door open and they ran inside.**

**Hermione Granger was shrinking against the wall opposite, looking as if she was about to faint. The troll was advancing on her, knocking the sinks off the walls as it went. **

"**Confuse it!" Harry said desperately to Ron, and, seizing a tap, he threw it as hard as he could against the wall.**

Moody grunted in his approval. "Nice job, Potter."

**The troll stopped a few feet from Hermione. It lumbered around, blinking stupidly, to see what had made the noise. Its mean little eyes saw Harry. It hesitated, then made for him instead, lifting its club as it went.**

Sirius put his arm around Harry's shoulders and squeezed him awfully tight. Harry winced, but thought it would be cruel if he asked Sirius to let him go.

"**Oy, pea-brain!" yelled Ron from the other side of the chamber, and he threw a metal pipe at it. The troll didn't even seem to notice the pipe hitting its shoulder, but it heard the yell and paused again, turning its ugly snout toward Ron instead, giving Harry time to run around it.**

Ron's siblings were looking at Ron with newfound respect. The twins even felt slightly bad about making fun of him so much; Ron had likely done more than they ever had, being friends with Harry Potter and all.

"**Come on, run, run!" Harry yelled at Hermione, trying to pull her toward the door, but she couldn't move, she was still flat against the wall, her mouth open with terror.**

McGonagall closed her eyes and gritted her teeth.

**The shouting and the echoes seemed to be driving the troll berserk. It roared again and started toward Ron, who was nearest and had no way to escape.**

**Harry then did something that was both very brave and very stupid: **

Ron laughed, making people stare at him like he was crazy. "Sorry," he said through his chuckles. "But that sentence describes Harry's entire life!"

Hermione cracked a smile as well, though it was slightly forced. Harry was so brave… but he would point blank refuse to let others go into danger with him… and sometimes that really got on her nerves.

Harry however, did not laugh or smile.

**He took a great running jump and managed to fasten his arms around the troll's neck from behind. **

Shocked eyes found him on the floor of the Hall, and he shrunk into his godfather's side, though this was of little comfort, as Sirius was giving him the same look.

Sirius almost repeated Ron's words of 'do you have a death wish?' but, seeing how that affected him before, cursed himself for even considering it.

**The troll couldn't feel Harry hanging there, but even a troll will notice if you stick a long bit of wood up its nose, and Harry's wand had still been in his hand when he'd jumped – it had gone straight up one of the troll's nostrils.**

"Ew…" said Viola.

**Howling with pain, the troll twisted and flailed its club, with Harry clinging on for dear life; any second, the troll was going to rip him off or catch him a terrible blow with the club.**

Sirius' grip on Harry tightened, and Harry gasped in a pained breath, making him be released almost instantly. "Sorry!" said Sirius, struggling to keep his voice steady.

**Hermione had sunk to the floor in fright; Ron pulled out his own wand — not knowing what he was going to do he heard himself cry the first spell that came into his head: "Wingardium Leviosa!"**

"You trying to get your friends killed, Weasley?" asked Malfoy, sniggering. "Try the spell you can't do! You know, if you were any less intelligent you could be-

Viola glared at him fiercely, the fire in her eyes practically melting the rest of his rude comment right out of his mouth.

**The club flew suddenly out of the troll's hand, rose high, high up into the air, turned slowly over — and dropped, with a sickening crack, onto its owner's head. The troll swayed on the spot and then fell flat on its face, with a thud that made the whole room tremble.**

Malfoy was gaping stupidly at the books, and the trio looked smug.

**Harry got to his feet. **

"You're invincible, you are!" said George in awe.

"How could you even stand after that?" asked Fred. "If I ever hung off the back of a fully grown troll I'd-

"Stop!" cried Mrs. Weasley. "I don't even want to know, because that is _never_ going to happen."

**He was shaking and out of breath. **

Many people gasped. Could it be that Harry had been… scared? The one who had done the impossible, the one who had escaped even death, was scared? They shook their heads, refusing to believe it.

Dumbledore smiled sadly; this only proved that Harry was indeed human.

**Ron was standing there with his wand still raised, staring at what he had done.** **It was Hermione who spoke first.**

"Now she gets her feet under her." Malfoy scoffed.

"I'd like to see you do half the things Hermione has done!" said Harry angrily.

"**Is it — dead?"**

"**I don't think so," said Harry, "I think it's just been knocked out."**

The Hall was still staring at Harry, not sure what they felt.

**He bent down and pulled his wand out of the troll's nose. It was covered in what looked like lumpy gray glue.**

"**Urgh — troll boogers."**

The Great Hall had a similar reaction.

**He wiped it on the troll's trousers.**

**A sudden slamming and loud footsteps made the three of them look up. They hadn't realized what a racket they had been making, but of course, someone downstairs must have heard the crashes and the troll's roars. A moment later, Professor McGonagall had come bursting into the room, closely followed by Snape, with Quirrell bringing up the rear. Quirrell took one look at the troll, let out a faint whimper, and sat quickly down on a toilet, clutching his heart.**

"Bloody faker!" Ron growled.

**Snape bent over the troll. Professor McGonagall was looking at Ron and Harry. Harry had never seen her look so angry. Her lips were white. **

Of course I was angry, she thought; at the time I had thought three of my students had looked for the troll, wanting to prove their greatness. She now knew that it was a noble rescue. She should have known… Harry Potter was not as arrogant as his father. She should have guessed otherwise.

**Hopes of winning fifty points for Gryffindor faded quickly from Harry's mind.**

She raised her eyebrows at this; on the other hand…

"**What on earth were you thinking of?" said Professor McGonagall, with cold fury in her voice. Harry looked at Ron, who was still standing with his wand in the air. "You're lucky you weren't killed. Why aren't you in your dormitory?"**

**Snape gave Harry a swift, piercing look. Harry looked at the floor. He wished Ron would put his wand down.**

"Sorry, mate," said Ron cheerfully.

**Then a small voice came out of the shadows.** "**Please, Professor McGonagall — they were looking for me."**

"**Miss Granger!"**

**Hermione had managed to get to her feet at last.**

Draco opened his mouth, but quickly closed it as Viola glared at him once again.

"**I went looking for the troll because I — I thought I could deal with it on my own — you know, because I've read all about them."**

"If you three had just told me the truth, I wouldn't have been angry!" McGonagall said.

"We didn't know that then," said Hermione.

**Ron dropped his wand. Hermione Granger, telling a downright lie to a teacher?**

"Then again," said the Transfiguration Professor with a faint smile on her face, "You three did make it quite obvious that you weren't telling the truth."

The trio went slightly red.

Neville snorted; "You three have to be the worst liars I have ever met… especially you, Hermione… and you Harry… and- well, you know what I mean. All three of you."

A few people sniggered and nodded, "You really are."

"**If they hadn't found me, I'd be dead now. **

"True, that." said George, who was looking rather pale.

**Harry stuck his wand up its nose and Ron knocked it out with its own club. They didn't have time to come and fetch anyone. It was about to finish me off when they arrived."**

Harry's face lost some of its color; what if they hadn't gotten there in time…

**Harry and Ron tried to look as though this story wasn't new to them.**

"You failed, and quite dismally." said McGonagall.

Snape looked furious. "So why didn't you make them tell the truth if it was so obvious?!"

"They were traumatized!" she cried. "I wasn't about to interrogate them!"

"I would have had them expelled," said Umbridge, smiling evilly.

Many glared at her.

"**Well — in that case…" said Professor McGonagall, staring at the three of them, "Miss Granger, you foolish girl, how could you think of tackling a mountain troll on your own?"**

**Hermione hung her head. Harry was speechless. Hermione was the last person to do anything against the rules, **

Ron and Harry grinned at each other; they really were a bad influence on her. Recently, _she_ was the one who had been convincing _them_ to break the rules.

**and here she was, pretending she had, to get them out of trouble. It was as if Snape had started handing out sweets.**

"In your dreams." Snape growled.

"**Miss Granger, five points will be taken from Gryffindor for this," said Professor McGonagall. "I'm very disappointed in you. If you're not hurt at all, you'd better get off to Gryffindor tower. Students are finishing the feast in their houses."**

**Hermione left.** **Professor McGonagall turned to Harry and Ron.**

"You didn't punish them?" asked Sirius, appalled.

"**Well, I still say you were lucky, but not many first years could have taken on a full-grown mountain troll. You each win Gryffindor five points. Professor Dumbledore will be informed of this. You may go."**

People were goggling at the trio and McGonagall, not sure if they should be impressed with their fellow students, or shocked with their teacher; so they settled for both.

**They hurried out of the chamber and didn't speak at all until they had climbed two floors up. It was a relief to be away from the smell of the troll, quite apart from anything else.**

"**We should have gotten more than ten points," Ron grumbled.**

Many goggled at Ron.

"**Five, you mean, once she's taken off Hermione's."**

"**Good of her to get us out of trouble like that," Ron admitted. "Mind you, we did save her."**

"**She might not have needed saving if we hadn't locked the thing in with her," Harry reminded him.**

"Too true…" muttered Lee.

**They had reached the portrait of the Fat Lady.**

"**Pig snout," they said and entered.**

The Slytherins once again scoffed at the ridiculous password these Gryffindors came up with.

**The common room was packed and noisy. Everyone was eating the food that had been sent up. Hermione, however, stood alone by the door, waiting for them. There was a very embarrassed pause. Then, none of them looking at each other, they all said "Thanks," and hurried off to get plates.**

Every pair of eyes was now settled on the trio, staring at them as if they had gone mad.

**But from that moment on, Hermione Grange became their friend. There are some things you can't share without ending up liking each other, and knocking out a twelve-foot mountain troll is one of them."**

"That's the end," said Smith.

Ginny looked at Harry, Ron, and Hermione. "Oh yeah," she said, her voice full of sarcasm. "That is such a normal way to become friends! In fact, it's not so different as to how I met Luna; we wrestled a giant!"

A few people sniggered when good old Loony Lovegood replied dreamily; "I thought we met on the train to Hogwarts, but wrestling a giant sounds much more interesting."


	11. Quidditch

A/N: I know you guys may not like all the chapters I'm leaving out, but try and live with it, kay? I would do all of them, but that would take forever. Anyway, hope you like this next one :)

"I'll read!" cried Lee Jordan.

"But I'm hungry!" protested Ron.

"You'd better wait, Lee," said Fred seriously.

"Anyone who gets between Ron and his stomach is in for it." finished George, just as serious.

While Lee chuckled and Ron blushed, food suddenly appeared. It was quite a sight. The room, being devoid of the usual house tables, was filled with plates of food suspended in mid air.

Ron grinned as if it were Christmas, and raised his wand. "Accio plate!" He felt quite pleased with himself as the plate floated into his hands.

And so all the students who knew how to do a summoning charm started calling many different foods to them to put onto their plates, while all those who had not learned the charm yet had to resort to chasing the various food courses around the room, trying to get what they wanted before someone summoned it away again.

Harry, again, did not eat.

"Aren' yoo 'ungry, 'arry?" Ron asked while he stuffed his face.

Harry just shook his head. He had both arms clutched tightly across his chest. He was not feeling very well. He thought he might be getting sick or something, and he wasn't sure if he could stomach any food at the moment. In actuality, it wasn't his stomach, but his scar, which was hurting so much he felt as if he wanted to throw up. It took all his self control not to cry out in pain.

"Suit yer-self." said Ron as he took a particularly large bite, not noticing Harry's discomfort.

Hermione on the other hand, did notice. "Er… Harry?" she asked tentatively. "You feeling okay?"

"M'fine." Harry mumbled quietly.

"Don't lie to me Harry." said Hermione, not unkindly.

Harry looked at her and sighed. "I'm just not feeling too great." he gave her a weak smile that turned into a grimace.

"You should go lay down." she said, worried for her friend who was looking quite pale.

Harry shook his head, "Toadface won't let me leave."

"But, Harry, if you're sick-

"Drop it Hermione, please. Umbridge wouldn't let me leave if I were dying."

Nobody else seemed to notice how sickly Harry was looking, as they were all too busy with food, accept for Dumbledore, who was looking quite worried.

After everyone had eaten, the food was vanished by McGonagall. "You said you wanted to read, Jordan?" she asked.

Lee nodded enthusiastically and cleared his throat when he had the book handed to him. **Quidditch, **he read.

Zabini laughed; "Fitting, for you to get this chapter." he said.

Many laughed in their agreement.

"Finally, a chapter where you're not in life threatening danger!" Sirius smiled.

Hermione was still watching Harry worriedly.

**In a low whisper, Harry told them what he'd seen. **

"What?" someone asked confused.

"I think it skipped again…" said Lee.

"**You know what this means?" he finished breathlessly. "He tried to get past that three-headed dog at Halloween! That's where he was going when we saw him — he's after whatever it's guarding! And I'd bet my broomstick **_**he **_**let that troll in, to make a diversion!" **

Oh, thought Harry, wincing as his scar seared again. He knew what this was about. It was when he'd seen Snape talking to Filch with a bite on his leg. He was in too much pain to risk explaining though, fearing that if he opened his mouth, he wouldn't be able to hold back the cry that was so desperately trying to escape him.

**Hermione's eyes were wide. **"**No — he wouldn't," she said. "I know he's not very nice, but he wouldn't try and steal something Dumbledore was keeping safe." **

"**Honestly, Hermione, you think all teachers are saints or something," snapped Ron. "I'm with Harry. I wouldn't put anything past Snape. **

Said teacher raised his eyebrows. "You thought _I_ was after the stone?" he asked coldly.

**But what's he after? What's that dog guarding?" **

"Wouldn't we all like to know!" said Dean.

**Harry went to bed with his head buzzing with the same question. Neville was snoring loudly, but Harry couldn't sleep. **

"Nothing new there…" said Neville; Harry hardly got any sleep these days. Neville had been woken up by his cries when he was having one of his nightmares more times than he could count.

**He tried to empty his mind — **

Snape tried not to look shocked; it seemed occlumency had been instinct for Harry at first.

**he needed to sleep, he had to, he had his first Quidditch match in a few hours – but the expression on Snape's face when Harry had seen his leg wasn't easy to forget. **

And yet, thought Snape, Harry was dismal at occlumency.

**The next morning dawned very bright and cold. The Great Hall was full of the delicious smell of fried sausages and the cheerful chatter of everyone looking forward to a good Quidditch match. **

"**You've got to eat some breakfast." **

This brought Harry back to Hermione's mind, and she looked at him, full of concern.

"**I don't want anything." **

Mrs. Weasley, Sirius, and Lupin all turned to reprimand Harry on not eating, but stopped cold when they saw his face.

"**Just a bit of toast," wheedled Hermione. **

"**I'm not hungry." **

**Harry felt terrible. **

Which is exactly how Harry looked at the moment.

Many people were starting to notice how awful he looked, getting distracted from the book.

**In an hour's time he'd be walking onto the field. **

"**Harry, you need your strength," said Seamus Finnigan. "Seekers are always the ones who get clobbered by the other team." **

"Real comforting, Seamus." said Ron sarcastically who, surprisingly, had still not noticed how horrible Harry was looking. Sure everyone was staring at Harry, but Ron was too use to this to think something was wrong.

"**Thanks, Seamus," said Harry, watching Seamus pile ketchup on his sausages. **

Lavender Brown wrinkled her nose. Piled ketchup? She hated ketchup.

**By eleven o'clock the whole school seemed to be out in the stands around the Quidditch pitch. Many students had binoculars. The seats might be raised high in the air, but it was still difficult to see what was going on sometimes. **

**Ron and Hermione joined Neville, Seamus, and Dean the West Ham fan **

Dean didn't even blush; in fact, he had hardly heard the comment. He was looking at Harry, along with the majority of the room.

**up in the top row. As a surprise for Harry, they had painted a large banner on one of the sheets Scabbers had ruined. **

Ron glared and, finally, turned to Harry to say some insult about the rat before the words got caught in his throat.

Harry was pale as a ghost, and his eyes were shut tight.

"Mate, you okay?" asked Ron.

Harry didn't answer.

**It said **_**Potter for President**_**, and Dean, who was good at drawing, had done a large Gryffindor lion underneath. Then Hermione had performed a tricky little charm so that the paint flashed different colours. **

Filius nodded approvingly. He was always so proud of Granger.

**Meanwhile, in the locker room, Harry and the rest of the team were changing into their scarlet Quidditch robes (Slytherin would be playing in green). **

Harry stood up suddenly, making Lee pause in the reading, and looked up to the teachers' table. "Can I leave?" he asked bluntly.

"Most certainly not!" said Umbridge, smiling broadly. "You will sit this book out Potter!"

Harry didn't think he could take it anymore. He was starting to feel faint. "I…" his voice was trembling. "I'm not feeling too well…"

"A likely story." spat Fudge nastily. "Just like that cock and bull story about the dementors at your hearing-

"Minister," Madam Bones whispered, "He really doesn't look well."

"Don't fall for it, Madam Bones," said Fudge. "It's all a ruse."

But at that point, Harry began to sway on the spot, his vision going out of focus and his scar gave a particularly nasty throb.

Madam Pomfrey was on her feet in a second. "CATCH HIM!" she yelled frantically.

Sirius was on his feet before she had even started yelling. The moment Harry had started to fall, as the Hall gave a collective gasp, he had jumped up and caught his godson before he could hit the floor.

Harry lay limp, pale as death, in Sirius' arms.

Ron and Hermione were panicking, as were the rest of the Weasleys, and Lupin, and the teachers, but none more than Sirius.

"What do I do!?" he yelled in desperation. "Madam Pomfrey!" he called, then yelled "MADAM POMFREY!" when she didn't come quickly enough. "What's wrong, is he okay? Is he all right?"

"Quickly, we'll take him to the hospital wing, away from prying eyes, where I can get a better look at him."

So the school healer and Sirius, with the Boy Who Lived unconscious in his arms, left the Hall.

"YOU OLD HAG!" yelled Hermione who was on her feet the moment the doors had closed behind them. She was furious at Umbridge. Everyone looked at her in shock; Hermione Granger, yelling at a teacher? "ANYONE WITH A BRAIN WOULD BE ABLE TO TELL THAT HARRY WAS SICK! AND YOU!" she rounded on the Minister of Magic. "YOU!" her voice rose in her anger. "HARRY WAS NOT LYING! HE'S A TERRIBLE LIAR, IF YOU HAVEN'T NOTICED US ALL TALKING ABOUT IT!"

"Miss Granger!" yelled Umbridge in shock. "Sit down."

"NO!" she screamed. "NO I WON'T!" So Hermione stood in protest, in the middle of the Great Hall where everyone was sitting on the floor, with her arms crossed.

Ron stood up with her, and together they glared at Umbridge and the Minister.

"SIT DOWN!" yelled Umbridge again.

"NO!" the two yelled together.

Umbridge was fuming.

Lee, sensing the danger, thought he should read on.

**Wood cleared his throat for silence. **

"**Okay, men," he said. **

"**And women," said Chaser Angelina Johnson. **

"**And women," Wood agreed. "This is it." **

"**The big one," said Fred Weasley. **

"**The one we've all been waiting for," said George. **

"**We know Oliver's speech by heart," Fred told Harry, **

At the mention of Harry's name, Hermione gave a small start and glanced at the doors. She hoped he was all right… she wanted to go and see… but she and Ron had a bone to pick with Umbridge. So they put their trust into Sirius and Madam Pomfrey as they stood defiantly in the crowd of seated students.

"**we were on the team last year." **

"**Shut up, you two," said Wood. **

"**This is the best team Gryffindor's had in years. We're going to win. I know it." **

**He glared at them all as if to say, "Or else." **

"**Right. It's time. Good luck, all of you." **

Lupin stood up next to Ron and Hermione, and crossed his arms as well.

**Harry followed Fred and George out of the locker room and, hoping his knees weren't going to give way, **

Ginny, her face heated with fury, stood up next to Lupin.

This seemed to do it. All the Weasleys stood (not Percy, of course) Lee, the book still in his hands, stood as well, and soon all of Gryffindor, the D.A., and anybody else who had respect for Harry were on their feet as well. Viola was the only Slytherin on her feet, but she didn't seem to care. Her eyes were blazing.

**walked onto the field to loud cheers. **

**Madam Hooch was refereeing. She stood in the middle of the field waiting for the two teams, her broom in her hand. **

"**Now, I want a nice fair game, all of you," she said, once they were all gathered around her. Harry noticed that she seemed to be speaking particularly to the Slytherin Captain, Marcus Flint, a sixth year. **

**Harry thought Flint looked as if he had some troll blood in him. **

Flint growled under his breath.

**Out of the corner of his eye he saw the fluttering banner high above, flashing Potter for President over the crowd. His heart skipped. He felt braver. **

Hermione allowed a small brake in glaring at Umbridge to smile sadly to herself.

"**Mount your brooms, please." **

**Harry clambered onto his Nimbus Two Thousand. **

**Madam Hooch gave a loud blast on her silver whistle. **

**Fifteen brooms rose up, high, high into the air. They were off. **

All the hope that the chapter name had given them was long gone. How was it that they had been so excited for such a trivial thing as a Quidditch match only minutes ago? There were more important things.

"**And the Quaffle is taken immediately by Angelina Johnson of Gryffindor — what an excellent Chaser that girl is, and rather attractive, too —" **

"**JORDAN!" **

A few people smiled.

"**Sorry, Professor." **

**The Weasley twins' friend, Lee Jordan, was doing the commentary for the match, closely watched by Professor McGonagall. **

Lee didn't seem as into the reading as he had been at the start. He kept shooting quick glances at the doors, waiting for them to open.

"**And she's really belting along up there, a neat pass to Alicia Spinnet, a good find of Oliver Wood's, last year only a reserve — back to Johnson and — no, the Slytherins have taken the Quaffle, Slytherin Captain Marcus Flint gains the Quaffle and off he goes — Flint flying like an eagle up there — he's going to sc— no, stopped by an excellent move by Gryffindor Keeper Wood and the Gryffindors take the Quaffle — that's Chaser Katie Bell of Gryffindor there, nice dive around Flint, off up the field and — OUCH — that must have hurt, hit in the back of the head by a Bludger — Quaffle taken by the Slytherins — that's Adrian Pucey speeding off toward the goal posts, but he's blocked by a second Bludger — sent his way by Fred or George Weasley, can't tell which**— **nice play by the Gryffindor Beater, anyway, and Johnson back in possession of the Quaffle, a clear field ahead and off she goes — she's really flying — dodges a speeding Bludger — the goal posts are ahead — come on, now, Angelina — Keeper Bletchley dives — misses — GRYFFINDORS SCORE!" **

**Gryffindor cheers filled the cold air, with howls and moans from the Slytherins. **

Just to make Umbridge mad, every person on their feet cheered with all the force they could muster.

"Silence!" she snapped, but this only made them cheer louder.

"**Budge up there, move along." **

"**Hagrid!" **

**Ron and Hermione squeezed together to give Hagrid enough space to join them. **

"**Bin watchin' from me hut," said Hagrid, patting a large pair of binoculars around his neck, "But it isn't the same as bein' in the crowd. No sign of the Snitch yet, eh?" **

"**Nope," said Ron. "Harry hasn't had much to do yet." **

"**Kept outta trouble, though, that's somethin'**

Quite right… thought Lupin; Harry couldn't seem to keep out of trouble for his life, which was usually what was in jeopardy when he was in these troublesome situations.

**," said Hagrid, raising his binoculars and peering skyward at the speck that was Harry. **

**Way up above them, Harry was gliding over the game, squinting about for some sign of the Snitch. This was part of his and Wood's game plan. **"**Keep out of the way until you catch sight of the Snitch," Wood had said. "We don't want you attacked before you have to be." **

The Quidditch fanatics nodded appreciatively; that was a good plan.

**When Angelina had scored, Harry had done a couple of loop-the-loops to let off his feelings. **

Ginny smiled.

**Now he was back to staring around for the Snitch. Once he caught sight of a flash of gold, but it was just a reflection from one of the Weasleys' wristwatches, and once a Bludger decided to come pelting his way, more like a cannonball than anything, but Harry dodged it **

The room erupted in cheers again, and Umbridge was looking to be in a very dangerous mood.

**and Fred Weasley came chasing after it. **"**All right there, Harry?" he had time to yell, as he beat the Bludger furiously toward Marcus Flint. **

"**Slytherin in possession," Lee Jordan was saying, "Chaser Pucey ducks two Bludgers, two Weasleys, and Chaser Bell, and speeds toward the — wait a moment — was that the Snitch?" **

Umbridge was seething. She hated this book. So far, she hated it. All it was doing was getting Potter more supporters than before. She nearly wanted to call off the reading, but she had a few reasons for not doing so. Number one reason: the book made the Potter brat miserable, which is what she cared about most. Reason two: She knew Potter was lying about You-Know-Who's return and she couldn't wait to prove it. Reason three: She was outright determined to arrest Potter for something before this book was over. It it was up to her, he would be in Azkaban the rest of his life.

**A murmur ran through the crowd as Adrian Pucey dropped the Quaffle, too busy looking over his shoulder at the flash of gold that had passed his left ear. **

**Harry saw it. In a great rush of excitement he dived downward after the streak of gold. Slytherin Seeker Terence Higgs had seen it, too. Neck and neck they hurtled toward the Snitch — all the Chasers seemed to have forgotten what they were supposed to be doing as they hung in midair to watch. **

**Harry was faster than Higgs**

— **he could see the little round ball, wings fluttering, darting up ahead — he put on an extra spurt of speed — **

**WHAM! A roar of rage echoed from the Gryffindors below — Marcus Flint had blocked Harry on purpose, and Harry's broom spun off course, Harry holding on for dear life. **

"FOUL!" everybody screamed, the loud noise in the enclosed space making the Minister flinch, which gave everybody who had yelled a smug look of satisfaction.

"**Foul!" screamed the Gryffindors. **

**Madam Hooch spoke angrily to Flint and then ordered a free shot at the goal posts for Gryffindor. But in all the confusion, of course, the Golden Snitch had disappeared from sight again. **

**Down in the stands, Dean Thomas was yelling, "Send him off, ref! Red card!" **

"**What are you talking about, Dean?" said Ron. **

"**Red card!" said Dean furiously. "In football you get shown the red card and you're out of the game!" **

"**But this isn't football, Dean," Ron reminded him. **

**Hagrid, however, was on Dean's side. **

"**They oughta change the rules. Flint coulda knocked Harry outta the air." **

**Lee Jordan was finding it difficult not to take sides. **

"**So — after that obvious and disgusting bit of cheating —" **

The Gryffindors smiled fondly.

"**Jordan!" growled Professor McGonagall. **

"**I mean, after that open and revolting foul…" **

Their smiles grew. He had some guts…

"_**Jordan, I'm warning you**_**—" **

"**All right, all right. Flint nearly kills the Gryffindor Seeker, which could happen to anyone, I'm sure, **

They were all laughing now.

**so a penalty to Gryffindor, taken by Spinner, who puts it away, no trouble, and we continue play, Gryffindor still in possession." **

A few people were starting to feel the strain in their legs building for standing so stiffly, but they all ignored it.

**It was as Harry dodged another Bludger, which went spinning dangerously past his head, that it happened. **

Many people paled; they had forgotten about this.

**His broom gave a sudden, frightening lurch. **

"What?" asked Mrs. Weasley, quite faint.

**For a split second, he thought he was going to fall. He gripped the broom tightly with both his hands and knees. He'd never felt anything like that. **

Lupin was looking nervous, as were many others in the room.

Umbridge was glaring at all of them; serves Potter right if he falls off his broom, she thought.

**It happened again. It was as though the broom was trying to buck him off. **

Remus paled considerably. Nobody had told him about this.

**But Nimbus Two Thousands did not suddenly decide to buck their riders off. Harry tried to turn back toward the Gryffindor goal-posts — he had half a mind to ask Wood to call time-out — and then he realized that his broom was completely out of his control. He couldn't turn it. He couldn't direct it at all. It was zigzagging through the air, and every now and then making violent swishing movements that almost unseated him. **

Good thing Sirius isn't here, thought Remus, or he'd be thrown back into Azkaban for murdering whoever was jinxing Harry's broom.

**Lee was still commentating. **

Lee swore. He couldn't believe he hadn't noticed sooner…

"**Slytherin in possession — Flint with the Quaffle — passes Spinnet — passes Bell — hit hard in the face by a Bludger, hope it broke his nose — only joking, Professor — Slytherins score — A no…" **

**The Slytherins were cheering. No one seemed to have noticed that Harry's broom was behaving strangely. It was carrying him slowly higher, away from the game, jerking and twitching as it went. **

Everybody, especially the teachers, were beginning to look quite ashamed. Why hadn't they noticed?

"**Dunno what Harry thinks he's doing," Hagrid mumbled. He stared through his binoculars. "If I didn' know better, I'd say he'd lost control of his broom… but he can't have…" **

**Suddenly, people were pointing up at Harry all over the stands. **

"Finally…" Molly breathed a sigh of relief.

**His broom had started to roll over and over, with him only just managing to hold on. Then the whole crowd gasped. Harry's broom had given a wild jerk and Harry swung off it. **

Ginny clapped her hand over her mouth to stop herself from yelling out.

**He was now dangling from it, holding on with only one hand. **

Tonks, seeing how Remus was looking quite as sick as Harry had, took his hand and gave it a reassuring squeeze.

"**Did something happen to it when Flint blocked him?" Seamus whispered. **

"**Can't have," Hagrid said, his voice shaking. "Can't nothing interfere with a broomstick except powerful Dark magic — no kid could do that to a Nimbus Two Thousand." **

**At these words, Hermione seized Hagrid's binoculars, but instead of looking up at Harry, she started looking frantically at the crowd. **

"**What are you doing?" moaned Ron, gray-faced. **

"**I knew it," Hermione gasped, "Snape — look." **

Snape's eyes widened in realization and he pointed accusingly at Hermione. "You!" he spat. "You set me on fire!"

Hermione looked a little nervous.

**Ron grabbed the binoculars. Snape was in the middle of the stands opposite them. He had his eyes fixed on Harry and was muttering nonstop under his breath. **

"**He's doing something — jinxing the broom," said Hermione. **

"I was NOT!" yelled Snape, and he sounded genuinely angry.

"**What should we do?" **

"**Leave it to me." **

Snape gritted his teeth. He couldn't give punishments… he couldn't give punishments… he had to tell himself this over and over as the reading continued.

**Before Ron could say another word, Hermione had disappeared. Ron turned the binoculars back on Harry. His broom was vibrating so hard, it was almost impossible for him to hang on much longer. **

People were looking at the book with awe. How had he even managed to stay on his broom as long as he did?

**The whole crowd was on its feet, **

As was most of the Great Hall.

**watching, terrified, as the Weasleys flew up to try and pull Harry safely onto one of their brooms, but it was no good – every time they got near him, the broom would jump higher still. **

Arthur and Molly gave an approving smile to their boys, glad they were trying to help Harry.

**They dropped lower and circled beneath him, obviously hoping to catch him if he fell. **

"Well done, boys." said Arthur.

**Marcus Flint seized the Quaffle and scored five times without anyone noticing. **

"**Come on, Hermione," Ron muttered desperately. **

**Hermione had fought her way across to the stand where Snape stood, and was now racing along the row behind him; she didn't even stop to say sorry as she knocked Professor Quirrell headfirst into the row in front. **

Hermione paled. If she hadn't done that… if that accident hadn't occurred… Harry would have fallen… and the odds the Weasley twins, no matter how skilled they were at flying, could catch a falling body through the air were very slim.

Harry might have died if she hadn't made that one little slip.

She shuddered. How luck worked in strange ways sometimes. She only now grasped the full accuracy of the earlier statement Ginny and Harry had made; how he only had good luck when his life depended on it. How true that was. This was a stroke of such luck, that it scared her.

**Reaching Snape, she crouched down, pulled out her wand, and whispered a few, well-chosen words. Bright blue flames shot from her wand onto the hem of Snape's robes. **

Snape was livid.

**It took perhaps thirty seconds for Snape to realize that he was on fire. **

Despite the tension, a few people chuckled.

**A sudden yelp told her she had done her job. Scooping the fire off him into a little jar in her pocket, she scrambled back along the row — Snape would never know what had happened. **

Hermione frowned; she hadn't been counting on a book about Harry being read to the entire school…

**It was enough. Up in the air, Harry was suddenly able to clamber back on to his broom. **

Remus, Molly, and Ginny were finally able to breathe a sigh of relief.

"And here I was thinking he couldn't get into much trouble at a Quidditch match…" said Lupin.

A few people grimaced. Harry did have the most rotten luck, especially when it came to Quidditch… Jinxed brooms, rogue bludgers, the Whomping Willow, Dementors, Toadface…

"**Neville, you can look!" Ron said. Neville had been sobbing into Hagrid's jacket for the last five minutes. **

**Harry was speeding toward the ground when the crowd saw him clap his hand to his mouth as though he was about to be sick — he hit the field on all fours — coughed — and something gold fell into his hand. **

Those who had not been there were shocked beyond belief. He… he caught the snitch in his mouth?

Only Harry.

"**I've got the Snitch!" he shouted, waving it above his head, and the game ended in complete confusion. **

"**He didn't **_**catch **_**it, he nearly **_**swallowed **_**it," Flint was still howling twenty minutes later, but it made no difference — Harry hadn't broken any rules and Lee Jordan was still happily shouting the results — Gryffindor had won by one hundred and seventy points to sixty. **

"WOO!" those still standing yelled, setting Umbridge's teeth on edge.

**Harry heard none of this, though. He was being made a cup of strong tea back in Hagrid's hut, with Ron and Hermione. **

McGonagall smiled in spite of herself. Exactly the opposite that James would have done. He would have been bragging and partying non-stop for days. But not Harry. No, he was more humble than that.

"**It was Snape," Ron was explaining, "Hermione and I saw him. He was cursing your broomstick, muttering, he wouldn't take his eyes off you." **

"Did it ever occur to you, Granger," said Snape, trying to keep his voice steady, "That counter curses require eye contact as well?"

Hermione blushed, though she did not regret her actions at all. If she hadn't knocked Quirrell over, even if it was by accident, Harry would have died, or been seriously injured.

"**Rubbish," said Hagrid, who hadn't heard a word of what had gone on next to him in the stands. "Why would Snape do somethin' like that?" **

**Harry, Ron, and Hermione looked at one another, wondering what to tell him. Harry decided on the truth. **

"See," said Hermione dangerously; "When it's about something this important, Harry always tells the truth."

Fudge was furious.

Madam Bones on the other hand, seemed to be considering this.

"**I found out something about him," he told Hagrid. "He tried to get past that three-headed dog on Halloween. It bit him. We think he was trying to steal whatever it's guarding." **

**Hagrid dropped the teapot. **"**How do you know about Fluffy?" he said. **

Jaws dropped. Fluffy? _Fluffy?_ I mean, come on, Hagrid, but _Fluffy_?"

"_**Fluffy**_**?" **

"**Yeah — he's mine — bought him off a Greek chappie I met in the pub las' year — I lent him to Dumbledore to guard the —" **

"**Yes?" said Harry eagerly. **

"**Now, don't ask me anymore," said Hagrid gruffly. **

Hagrid looked a little guilty, seeing as he now knew Harry had always been forbidden to ask questions at Privet Drive.

**"That's top secret, that is." **

"Which would only make him more curious!" said Pavarti.

"**But Snape's trying to **_**steal **_**it." **

Snape grumbled something incoherently under his breath.

"**Rubbish," said Hagrid again. "Snape's a Hogwarts teacher, he'd do nothin' of the sort." **

"**So why did he just try and kill Harry?" cried Hermione. The afternoon's events certainly seemed to have changed her mind about Snape. **

"**I know a jinx when I see one, Hagrid, I've read all about them! You've got to keep eye contact, and Snape wasn't blinking at all, I saw him!" **

"**I'm tellin' yeh, yer wrong!" said Hagrid hotly. "I don' know why Harry's broom acted like that, but Snape wouldn' try an' kill a student! Now, listen to me, all three of yeh — yer meddlin' in things that don' concern yeh. It's dangerous. **

Lupin sighed. Of course it was. Harry wouldn't be interested if it wasn't dangerous, now, would he?

**You forget that dog, **

A few people shuddered. "Anybody who can forget that dog is absolutely mental." someone said.

**an' you forget what it's guardin', that's between Professor Dumbledore an' Nicolas Flamel —" **

"_Hagrid!_" the teachers all groaned; but Dumbledore merely smiled. He was quite curious to figure out how Harry had found out about Nicolas.

"**Aha!" said Harry, "so there's someone called Nicolas Flamel involved, is there?" **

**Hagrid looked furious with himself. **

"As you should!" said Sprout.

"That's all." Lee said with a sigh.

But Ron and Hermione didn't stay to chat. They were out the door and on their way to the hospital wing for the second time in two days, closely followed by Lupin and the Weasleys. Ron had a feeling Harry was going to break his record of hospital visits in a week.

Nobody could shake off their worry as they made their way to see if Harry was okay. If he wasn't… No. they told themselves, He's fine. Don't think like that.

But they quickened their pace none the less.


	12. A Bloody Miracle

A/N: Not a reading chapter- still pretty intense though! Hope you like! Thanks for reviewing!

(Harry's point of view as he passed out during 'Quidditch')

The Great Hall before Harry dissolved in a mist of color. In the back of his mind, he thought he knew what was happening and he tried to tell Ron and Hermione, but he couldn't move; he couldn't speak. The pain that held him in its grasp was sickening.

The very thing Snape had been warning him about in occlumency lessons was happening; he had told Harry that he had to close his mind, but while reading the books, it only opened it further.

Voldemort had discovered the connection between them, and it was when Harry was at his most vulnerable. He was tired and emotionally stressed, and unable to fight back. How much Voldemort knew about the connection, Harry was not yet sure.

_Close your mind, Harry… close it!_ He told himself, _clear it of all thought!_

But closing it was impossible. He was in too much pain, he was so emotionally torn from the past day's events that he couldn't stand it.

He screamed as the pain overcame all conscious thought.

(Back with Ron and Hermione as they rush to the Hospital Wing)

Ron and Hermione, being the youngest and most fit, reached the Hospital Wing first. They barbed through the doors just as Harry let out a horrible pain filled scream.

Sirius was pacing back and forth very quickly, his hands grasping his hair as if he was trying to pull it out of his scalp. He was very pale, and he wasn't sure how much more he could take. "What is wrong with him?" he bellowed.

Hermione and Ron's eyes found Harry, and they almost screamed themselves. He was tangled up in the sheets of one of the Hospital Wing beds, and his thrashing made it near impossible for Madam Pomfrey to untangle him. Beads of sweat were clearly visible on his forehead.

"I- I don't know!" she cried. "Where is the Headmaster?!"

At that moment Dumbledore, followed closely by Snape, rushed into the room. Right behind them were the Weasleys and Remus Lupin.

"Severus…" Dumbledore muttered as he examined Harry. "You know what this is and what must be done?" Snape nodded, though he was very pale.

Remus, realizing what he was going to do, stepped forward. "No." he said. "Harry doesn't trust you, Severus. He will push you away; plus we cannot risk Voldemort, if that is indeed who is behind this, to recognize your consciousness." He paused as if making a huge decision. "I'll do it."

"What?" snapped Sirius, looking worried.

"I'll do it." Lupin said loudly, this time with more resolve.

"What's going on?" asked Hermione weakly.

"You know the risks, Remus?" asked Dumbledore quietly.

"Risks? What risks?" asked Sirius frantically. "What is happening, Dumbledore!?"

Severus was staring at Lupin, sizing him up. "When you join his mind, you will feel the pain he feels. Do you think you can handle that?"

Remus nodded. "For James' and Lily's son, I will."

Hermione gasped in realization as she watched Remus walk up to Harry.

"What?" asked Ron and Sirius at the same time, completely oblivious as to what was going on.

"V-v-voldemort!" squeaked Hermione. "He's using their connection to cause Harry this pain! Harry needs help to break the connection, because he's been under so much stress and his mind is weak at the moment."

Ron looked like he was going to be sick.

"Lupin is going to join minds with Harry, to drive Voldemort out, but he will feel everything Harry does."

The Weasleys all looked positively faint. Ginny had a sudden urge to throw up.

Lupin placed a hand on Harry's forehead and closed his eyes. Hermione whimpered with worry, and Sirius gritted his teeth.

Jumping back as if he had received an electric shock, Lupin cried out.

Sirius rushed forward and helped steady his friend. "Are you all right? What was that? What happened? Is Harry-

Lupin shivered. When he replied, his voice was shaking slightly. "That… was unlike anything I have ever felt."

Sirius paled past the point of the living. "What do you mean?"

Lupin turned to Dumbledore; "How can he stand it?"

The Headmaster was looking very grave. "I'm afraid, if it's as bad as you say; he won't be able to withstand it much longer."

Lupin walked back to Harry's side. If this boy could stand it… if this fifteen year old boy could handle it, then so could he. He had to save James' son. He placed his hand back on Harry's forehead, and tried again.

As their minds connected, Lupin yelled, but he did not retreat this time. It was a maddening world of confusion and pain. He could barely make a coherent thought. _Harry?_

He felt recognition in the boy's mind, but Harry was unable to reply. A particularly nasty jolt of pain flashed through him, and Lupin had to retreat.

He came back to the Hospital Wing with a gasp and watering eyes. Everyone was staring at him. He reached out to Harry to try again, but Severus restrained him. "It is too much." he said.

Lupin slumped into a nearby chair, miserable from his failure.

But it wasn't all a failure. When Lupin had connected with Harry, even for that briefest of brief moments, Harry recognized who it was. This quick moment of contact was exactly what he had needed. Through all the pain and confusion Harry was reminded of who he was. He had his identity back, but he knew it wouldn't last long.

With all his remaining strength, Harry pushed against the pain pressing in on him. He drove it back by sheer willpower, and the effort and energy required nearly defeat him.

Nearly.

Lupin had his head in his hands, filled with shame. Sirius was about to snap, the stress was taking him over. Hermione and Ginny were in each other's arms sobbing. Ron was just standing there, dumbstruck. The rest of the Weasleys couldn't form a real thought in their heads.

Snape looked at the boy and knew what he had to do. Lupin was right, Voldemort would recognize his consciousness, but if he didn't do this, Lily's son would die. As Severus walked up to Harry and outstretched his hand, something miraculous happened.

A bloody miracle.

Harry's breathing steadied, and his rigid body relaxed. A soft moan escaped his lips.

Snape's eyes widened and he stepped back in pure shock. "Impossible…" he breathed. He looked at Dumbledore, eyes wide, "He drove him out."

All the women let out sobs, and the men just slumped to the floor, their legs seemingly unable to support them.

Sirius crawled to Harry's bedside and grasped his godson's hand, cold and clammy as it was.

"H-h-how… how d-d-did h-he do… do it?" asked Hermione through her cries.

Dumbledore shook his head and a tear escaped him. "It is beyond me." he said.

They all just waited there for a long time. Too stressed and relieved to even move. They all just waited. Waited for Harry to wake.

McGonagall showed up later, and informed them that they had read another chapter called 'The Mirror of Erised', but that Umbridge refused to read any more without Potter present. She explained what happened in the chapter, and they explained to her what had happened at the Hospital Wing.

"He drove him out?" asked McGonagall with a hand clutching at her heart. "I swear, that boy will be the death of me."

Sirius hadn't moved from his spot on the floor next to Harry's bed, still clutching his hand. He was thinking about the chapter McGonagall had told them about… how Harry had seen his family in the mirror… and what the mirror was. 'I show not your face but your heart's desire'. He was thinking of how much the poor boy had had to go through in his life…

Your hearts desire… and he broke down into tears.


	13. Nicholas Flamel

When Harry woke, he was feeling too stiff and sore to even bother moving, so he just lay there with his eyes closed, listening to the noises that had so abruptly woke him up.

"He has had enough rest; we are wasting time! Wake him up so we can get on with the reading!"

"He was just attacked you blithering idiot!"

"How dare you insult your superior!? I am Senior Undersecretary to the Minister, Minerva, which is more than you yourself can say."

"The boy needs rest! Leave him be-

"Minerva, Dolores, that is quite enough." said the voice of Albus Dumbledore.

"The Potter boy has stalled long enough-

"Stalled!? _Stalled!?_ He has been unconscious, Dolores!" yelled McGonagall.

Harry reluctantly opened his eyes to find that his glasses had been removed. He felt around quietly with his hand until he found them on the bedside table. Putting them on, he was greeted by a most unwelcome sight.

Dolores Umbridge was in the Hospital Wing. Her squat form was glaring up on McGonagall who towered over her.

Looking around, Harry saw Ron and Hermione and Ginny sitting next to each other on the next bed over. Sirius was sitting on the floor on Harry's immediate left, and the rest of the Weasleys and Lupin were clumped on the far side of the room talking with Madam Pomfrey. Albus Dumbledore appeared to have just walked in.

"Dolores, if you would please wait outside." said Dumbledore quietly.

Umbridge bristled, her toad-like face squashed in disappointment and anger. She stalked out of the room with her head held high.

McGonagall rounded on Dumbledore. "That woman! I swear! I can't stand her!"

Dumbledore looked around amusedly, and smiled when he saw Harry trying to sit up. "Harry." he said softly.

Every head in the Hospital Wing turned towards him.

"H'lo." Harry said quietly.

Sirius was on his feet in a second. "Harry!" he said. "Are you… feeling okay?" Sirius wanted to kick himself for the stupid question; _he was just tortured you idiot! Of course he's not okay_!

Harry noticed the worried and anxious faces of everybody in the room. He felt slightly embarrassed and ashamed as to how he must have acted during his… episode.

He noticed that, unlike the soreness that had lingered after getting hit with five stunning spells, his body did not hurt. He mostly felt tired, and he had the most awful headache. His head was practically pounding in his ears. He was a little dizzy, and his scar was prickling uncomfortably; but it was nothing compared to… to…

"What happened?" Harry asked with panic rising in his chest. "Voldemort, he- he was-

"Calm down, Harry." Dumbledore said soothingly. "Voldemort was attacking through the connection you two share, but he did not succeed."

Harry looked at Lupin with wide eyes. "You…" he said. "You… you were there… I felt you…" Harry shivered, remembering all too well the pain he had been going through. "You saved me." he said.

Lupin looked confused. "What do you mean?" he asked. "I could only stand about a second before I was driven out."

"When I felt you… I… you gave me reason to fight." Harry said quietly.

"What do you mean, reason? You have plenty of reasons!" said Sirius.

"I couldn't think of anything at the time…" said Harry, looking past them all as if he weren't there anymore. "I forgot who I was… what mattered…" he looked at Remus. "Then I felt you, and I suddenly remembered."

Dumbledore explained to Harry what Remus had done; how he had attempted to join minds with him.

Harry's eyes widened. "But that means- then you must've- did you feel what I did?"

Remus involuntarily flinched, which gave Harry his answer.

Harry looked down, not wanting to look anybody in the eyes. "I'm sorry you had to feel that…"

"Harry," said Lupin exasperated. "You're the one who shouldn't have had to feel that!"

Harry looked at Hermione and Ginny and Mrs. Weasley, all of whose eyes were looking oddly red. Nearly everyone in the room had circles under their eyes.

"How long have I been in here?" Harry asked slowly.

"You still haven't answered my question." said Sirius. "How are you feeling?"

Harry raised his eyebrows. "Bloody brilliant."

The twins cracked a small smile. Trust Harry to make a joke at a time like this.

"You've been in here for two days." sighed Lupin, who was looking extremely worn down.

"Wonderful!" Harry groaned. "Umbridge sure didn't seem too happy about it."

"Of course she isn't!" said Hermione, glaring. "She thinks you did it for the attention."

"What?!" asked Harry. "The attention?! Is she absolutely daft!?"

"Well, she couldn't very well accept the explanation that you were attacked by You-know-who now, could she?" asked Arthur Weasley bitterly. "So she had to tell everybody else something."

"Nobody believes her though," said Ginny quickly, seeing Harry's face. "They all know she's the real liar." she paused, then rolled her eyes adding, "Well, everyone _sensible_ knows that anyway."

Dumbledore sighed. "Are you up for more reading?"

Harry's spirits fell. His misery must have shown on his face because everybody frowned.

"We can convince her to wait a bit longer-

"No," said Harry, "No. I might as well… I mean, I have to do it eventually, so I might as well do it sooner than later." Harry tried to get out of the bed, and found himself feeling unnaturally weak and a wave of dizziness came over him. He sat there for a moment, holding onto Sirius for support.

"We should probably wait, Dumbledore," said Sirius, "He's in no fit state to-

"I'm fine." said Harry, trying to ignore his pounding head. "C'mon, let's go."

xXx

Harry sat down in the Great Hall, very self conscious of all the eyes looking his way. He tried to look at nothing but the floor, or those close to him.

"Now that Mister Potter has _finally_ decided to join us," said Umbridge in a voice that made Harry's stomach clutch with anger, "We can continue with the book."

Padma Patil volunteered to read. **"Nicholas Flamel,"**

**Dumbledore had convinced Harry not to go looking for the Mirror of Erised again, **

A few people sighed with relief and Harry groaned. They had read about the mirror? That was very personal!

**and for the rest of the Christmas holidays the invisibility cloak stayed folded at the bottom of his trunk. **

Harry was feeling suddenly even more irksome towards the book than he already was. Now everybody knew about his cloak too.

Many of the teachers looked shocked; the son of James Potter, not using an invisibility cloak at every opportunity?

Severus just looked angry, reminiscing on all the trouble that cloak had caused him. If only he had know about it when he was at school, he could have busted James for something…

**Harry wished he could forget what he'd seen in the mirror as easily, but he couldn't. He started having nightmares. **

A few people sighed sadly.

**Over and over again he dreamed about his parents disappearing in a flash of green light, while a high voice cackled with laughter. **

Many people were looking at Harry in pity now, who just closed his eyes. His nightmares were worse now… he knew what his parents said before they died, what Voldemort had said… he saw Cedric being killed and- _stop, don't think about that! _

"**You see, Dumbledore was right, that mirror could drive you mad," said Ron, when Harry told him about these dreams. **

**Hermione, who came back the day before term started, took a different view of things. She was torn between horror at the idea of Harry being out of bed, roaming the school three nights in a row ("If Filch had caught you!"), **

A few people sniggered, and Hermione blushed. The twins just looked scandalized; it was only three nights! That's nothing! They'd gotten away with plenty more than that, and they didn't even have an invisibility cloak.

**and disappointment that he hadn't at least found out who Nicolas Flamel was. **

Harry and Ron shook their heads fondly. Typical.

"There's a break in the reading," said Padma, "So I'm guessing it's skipping forward again."

**As Neville walked away, Harry looked at the Famous Wizard card. **

"A chocolate frog card?" asked someone skeptically.

"**Dumbledore again," he said, "He was the first one I ever —" **

**He gasped. **

"What?!" asked Molly, worried.

Dumbledore couldn't hold back his smile. So that's how Harry found out about his old friend.

**He stared at the back of the card. Then he looked up at Ron and Hermione. **

"What is it?" Viola asked.

"_**I've found him!**_**" he whispered. "I've found Flamel! **

"Seriously?" asked Dean. "On the back of a chocolate frog card?!"

**I **_**told **_**you I'd read the name somewhere before, I read it on the train coming here — listen to this: 'Dumbledore is particularly famous for his defeat of the dark wizard Grindelwald in 1945, for the discovery of the twelve uses of dragon's blood, **_**and his work on alchemy with his partner, Nicolas Flamel'**_**!" **

A few people laughed weakly; "I knew I heard that name _somewhere_!" somebody muttered.

**Hermione jumped to her feet. She hadn't looked so excited since they'd gotten back the marks for their very first piece of homework. **

Ron sniggered, earning a glare from Hermione.

"**Stay there!" she said, and she sprinted up the stairs to the girls' dormitories. Harry and Ron barely had time to exchange mystified looks before she was dashing back, an enormous old book in her arms. **

"**I never thought to look in here!" she whispered excitedly. "I got this out of the library weeks ago for a bit of light reading." **

"Didn't it just say that the book was enormous?" snorted Neville; Hermione really was something else. All three of the trio were…

"_**Light**_**?" said Ron, but Hermione told him to be quiet until she'd looked something up, and started flicking frantically through the pages, muttering to herself. At last she found what she was looking for. **

"**I knew it! I **_**knew **_**it!" **

"**Are we allowed to speak yet?" said Ron grumpily. Hermione ignored him. **

Harry laughed for the first time in what felt like a really long time. Everybody couldn't help but smile when they saw Harry laughing. The poor boy had so much on his shoulders…

"_**Nicolas Flamel," **_**she whispered dramatically, "**_**is the only known maker of the Philosopher's Stone**_**!" **

**This didn't have quite the effect she'd expected. **

"**The what?" said Harry and Ron. **

Harry started laughing harder, not really caring that it was hurting his already pounding head. He missed the good days, when they were still young and naïve.

"**Oh, **_**honestly**_**, don't you two read?**

Now Ron started to laugh along with Harry, thinking along the same lines.

**Look – read that, there." She pushed the book toward them, and Harry and Ron read: **

_**The ancient study of alchemy is concerned with making the Philosopher's Stone, a legendary substance with astonishing powers. The stone will transform any metal into pure gold. It also produces the Elixir of Life, which will make the drinker immortal. **_

_**There have been many reports of the Philosopher's Stone over the centuries, but the only Stone currently in existence belongs to Mr. Nicolas Flamel, the noted alchemist and opera lover. Mr. Flamel, who celebrated his six hundred and sixty-fifth birthday last year, enjoys a quiet life in Devon with his wife, Perenelle (six hundred and fifty-eight). **_

"That was in the school?" asked Malfoy. He wished he would've known about it, because he would've taken it for himself.

"**See?" said Hermione, when Harry and Ron had finished. "The dog must be guarding Flamel's Philosopher's Stone! I bet he asked Dumbledore to keep it safe for him, because they're friends and he knew someone was after it, that's why he wanted the Stone moved out of Gringotts!" **

"**A stone that makes gold and stops you from ever dying!" said Harry. "No wonder Snape's after it! **_**Anyone **_**would want it." **

Snape shook his head. As if he would want more time to reflect on what he had done… on all his mistakes… how it was _his _fault Lily had died.

"**And no wonder we couldn't find Flamel in that **_**Study of Recent Developments in Wizardry**_**," said Ron. "He's not exactly recent if he's six hundred and sixty-five, is he?" **

"It skipped again." said Padma.

**A hooded figure came swiftly down the front steps of the castle. Clearly not wanting to be seen, it walked as fast as possible toward the forbidden forest. Harry's victory faded from his mind as he watched. He recognized the figure's prowling walk. **

Moody nodded in approval.

"What happened?" somebody asked.

"Harry caught the snitch in five minutes." said Luna, staring off into space. "I imagine that would have been quite enjoyable to watch. Everyone knows about it, it's practically legend."

"Five minutes?!" asked Sirius with an oversized grin on his face. "_Five minutes!?_" Sirius clapped Harry on the back. "Woo!"

"Your father would be proud." said Lupin.

Harry grinned at his father's two best friends.

**Snape, sneaking into the forest while everyone else was at dinner — what was going on? **

McGonagall sighed. "You know, Severus, you really didn't make things easy on yourself. You are being really suspicious."

Snape didn't acknowledge that he heard her, mainly because he didn't want to admit that she was right, but also because he was wondering what Potter was up to.

**Harry jumped back on his Nimbus Two Thousand and took off. Gliding silently over the castle he saw Snape enter the forest at a run. He followed. **

"Someone's nosy." said Cho, winking.

Harry grinned at her, but not as enthusiastically as usual.

**The trees were so thick he couldn't see where Snape had gone. He flew in circles, lower and lower, brushing the top branches of trees until he heard voices. He glided toward them and landed noiselessly in a towering beech tree. He climbed carefully along one of the branches, holding tight to his broomstick, trying to see through the leaves. **

**Below, in a shadowy clearing, stood Snape, but he wasn't alone. Quirrell was there, too. Harry couldn't make out the look on his face, but he was stuttering worse than ever. **

"The whole reason I was there," said Snape through gritted teeth, "Was to avoid being overheard, Potter."

Harry grinned sheepishly.

"Nothing goes unnoticed by Potter." said Moody gruffly, "Which is a valuable quality."

"I pity anyone that's not on Harry's side." Bill Weasley muttered.

**Harry strained to catch what they were saying. **

"… **d-don't know why you wanted t-t-to meet here of all p-places, Severus…" **

"**Oh, I thought we'd keep this private," said Snape, his voice icy. **

Snape glared at Harry, who pointedly looked anywhere else.

**"Students aren't supposed to know about the Philosopher's Stone, after all." **

Ginny snorted, "Harry's not your average student, Professor."

**Harry leaned forward. Quirrell was mumbling something. Snape interrupted him. **"**Have you found out how to get past that beast of Hagrid's yet?" **

"**B-b-but Severus, I —" **

"**You don't want me as your enemy, Quirrell," said Snape, taking a step toward him. **

A few people shivered; no, they wouldn't either.

"**I-I don't know what you—" **

"**You know perfectly well what I mean." **

**An owl hooted loudly, and Harry nearly fell out of the tree. **

Malfoy snickered, but everybody else was so obviously impressed by his information retrieving skilled that they didn't join in.

Madam Bones began to see what Moody was talking about; Potter would be an excellent Auror.

**He steadied himself in time to hear Snape say, "— your little bit of hocus-pocus. I'm waiting." **

"**B-but I d-d-don't —" **

"**Very well," Snape cut in. "We'll have another little chat soon, when you've had time to think things over and decided where your loyalties lie." **

**He threw his cloak over his head and strode out of the clearing. It was almost dark now, but Harry could see Quirrell, standing quite still as though he was petrified. **

"**Harry, where have you **_**been**_**?" Hermione squeaked. **

"I don't squeak!" said Hermione.

"**We won! You won! We won!" shouted Ron, thumping Harry on the back. "And I gave Malfoy a black eye, **

The twins stood up and bowed deeply to their brother. It was, after all, that git's fault that they were both banned from playing Quidditch.

**and Neville tried to take on Crabbe and Goyle single-handed! He's still out cold but Madam Pomfrey says he'll be all right**— **talk about showing Slytherin! Everyone's waiting for you in the common room, we're having a party, Fred and George stole some cakes and stuff from the kitchens." **

A few people raised their eyebrows at the twins, who just giggled and pretended to blush.

"**Never mind that now," said Harry breathlessly. "Let's find an empty room, you wait 'til you hear this…" **

"Do you tell them everything?" asked Neville, curious.

The trio exchanged looks. "Nearly everything." said Ron and Hermione together.

Harry attempted a grin, but it didn't really work.

"He doesn't tell us the really bad things, though." said Ron, shrugging.

"You can't really blame him though," said Hermione, looking at Harry, thinking about what happened a few chapters ago when Ron had said something about a death wish. She knew it must be something almost too painful to even think about, else he would have told them.

Ron and Hermione were looking slightly worried. They were going to know everything after this book was over. All Harry's secrets. Maybe they didn't want to know… maybe being ignorant would be best…

But they didn't really have a choice, now did they?

**He made sure Peeves wasn't inside before shutting the door behind them,then he told them what he'd seen and heard. **

"**So we were right, it **_**is **_**the Philosopher's Stone, and Snape's trying to force Quirrell to help him get it. He asked if he knew how to get past Fluffy — and he said something about Quirrell's 'hocus pocus' — I reckon there are other things guarding the stone apart from Fluffy, loads of enchantments, probably, and Quirrell would have done some anti-Dark Arts spell that Snape needs to break through —" **

"Good deductions." Moody growled, secretly very impressed with Potter.

"**So you mean the Stone's only safe as long as Quirrell stands up to Snape?" said Hermione in alarm. **

"**It'll be gone by next Tuesday," said Ron. **

"That's it." said Padma.

"I want to read!" called Collin Creevy with his hand in the air.

Sirius leaned over to Harry's ear and whispered, "How're you holding up?"

"Just a headache." said Harry which, while it was true his dizziness was gone, was a lot more painful than he let on.

A/N: Review please!


	14. The Forbidden Forest

Colin cleared his throat and looked around nervously before saying **'The Forbidden Forest,**

Harry sat up slightly straighter at this. Had it skipped Norbert? He hoped with everything he had that Hagrid wouldn't get in any trouble.

"What?" snapped Mrs. Weasley. "Why are you going in there?"

"Yeah," said Sirius, for once agreeing with her, "It's called 'Forbidden' for a reason."

Lupin snorted. "As if we ever followed that rule, Padfoot!"

"You know what I mean!" said Sirius gruffly. "This is Harry we're talking about, not us and James. I don't know if you've noticed, but Harry tends to attract a lot more trouble than we ever did."

"Attract trouble?" asked McGonagall amusedly. "I believe you were the ones who usually caused it!"

Lupin waved that aside, saying "I see what you mean," to Sirius. He then turned to Harry. "Why were you in there?"

Harry gave him a small grin, "Detention." he said.

"WHAT?" asked Mrs. Weasley. "What teacher would give a first year detention in the forest?"

Sirius rounded on Snape, but before he could start yelling, McGonagall spoke up. "That would be my fault."

Many people looked at her, shocked, jaws dropped.

"I'm sure the book will explain." she sighed.

Sirius turned back to Harry. "Nothing happened, right?"

Harry wanted dearly to say yes, but the word got caught in his throat.

Sirius smacked his hand over his face, groaning. The rest of the Hall was looking bewildered; what trouble did Potter manage to get himself into now?

**Things couldn't have been worse. **

Ron and Hermione looked at Harry with raised eyebrows.

"I take it back now." said Harry, grimacing.

**Filch took them down to Professor McGonagall's study on the first floor, where they sat and waited without saying a word to each other. Hermione was trembling. Excuses, alibis, and wild cover- up stories chased each other around Harry's brain, each more feeble than the last. He couldn't see how they were going to get out of trouble this time. **

"What did you do?" Susan asked curiously.

Harry shrugged, trying to spare his friend.

**They were cornered. How could they have been so stupid as to forget the cloak? **

**There was no reason on earth that Professor McGonagall would accept for their being out of bed and creeping around the school in the dead of night, let alone being up the tallest astronomy tower, which was out-of-bounds except for classes. **

Now many people were raising their eyebrows; what were they doing there at that time of night?

**Add Norbert and the invisibility cloak, and they might as well be packing their bags already. **

"Norbert?" Dennis asked curiously.

Harry smiled mysteriously at him, hoping to avoid answering any questions.

**Had Harry thought that things couldn't have been worse? He was wrong. **

"So, so, so, terribly, unbelievably wrong." said Harry, sighing.

**When Professor McGonagall appeared, she was leading Neville. **

"I'm reaaalllly sorry about that, Neville." Harry said abruptly.

Neville smiled; "It's all right Harry!"

"**Harry!" Neville burst out, the moment he saw the other two. "I was trying to find you to warn you, I heard Malfoy saying he was going to catch you, he said you had a drag—" **

"What?" Umbridge snapped, jerking her head up suddenly. "A what?"

"A drag," said Collin curiously, "I don't know what that is, never heard of one of them."

Umbridge looked disappointed, Hagrid fidgeted uneasily.

**Harry shook his head violently to shut Neville up, but Professor McGonagall had seen. She looked more likely to breathe fire than Norbert as she towered over the three of them. **

Umbridge opened her mouth, but Collin, finally grasping that the 'drag' was really a 'dragon' and that the dragon was Norbert, read on quickly.

"**I would never have believed it of any of you. Mr. Filch says you were up in the astronomy tower. It's one o'clock in the morning. **_**Explain yourselves**_**." **

**It was the first time Hermione had ever failed to answer a teacher's question. She was staring at her slippers, as still as a statue. **

"Weird… It must have been bad." Dean said.

Ron was looking quite curious, as he had been in the Hospital Wing at the time (Norbert had bitten him), and had missed out on this little adventure.

"**I think I've got a good idea of what's been going on," said Professor McGonagall. "It doesn't take a genius to work it out. You fed Draco Malfoy some cock-and-bull story about a dragon, **

Umbridge grumbled to herself, apparently buying the part of the dragon being 'cok-and-bull'.

**trying to get him out of bed and into trouble. I've already caught him. I suppose you think it's funny that Longbottom here heard the story and believed it, too?" **

"Really, Neville, we didn't mean-

"Shut up, Harry, I know." said Neville.

**Harry caught Neville's eye and tried to tell him without words that this wasn't true, because Neville was looking stunned and hurt. Poor, blundering Neville — **

Harry flinched at his past words and was about to apologize again when Neville shook his head with an amused look on his face.

**Harry knew what it must have cost him to try and find them in the dark, to warn them. **

"**I'm disgusted," said Professor McGonagall. "Four students out of bed in one night! I've never heard of such a thing before! **

Lupin and Sirius looked at McGonagall exasperatedly, while Fred and George did the same. While the twins were only two, they often made some of their night time excursions with Lee Jordan and occasionally (as surprising as it may seem) Angelina Johnson. Sirius was thinking about his nighttime wanderings with James, Remus, and Peter…

**You, Miss Granger, I thought you had more sense. As for you, Mr. Potter, I thought Gryffindor meant more to you than this. **

A few people winced, knowing how Harry would take this.

"Low blow," said George.

"Using the guilt trip on Harry?" asked Fred.

"That's a really low blow." repeated George.

**All three of you will receive detentions — yes, you too, Mr. Longbottom, **_**nothing **_**gives you the right to walk around school at night, especially these days, it's very dangerous — and fifty points will be taken from Gryffindor." **

The Gryffindors winced; they had woken only to find their points hourglass considerably emptier… they all felt a pang of guilt while they remembered how they had acted towards Harry and his friends after that.

"_**Fifty**_**?" Harry gasped — they would lose the lead, the lead he'd won in the last Quidditch match. **

"**Fifty points **_**each**_**," said Professor McGonagall, breathing heavily through her long, pointed nose. **

Somebody whistled.

"That's a bit harsh, Minerva…" said Professor Sprout.

"**Professor — please —" **

"**You **_**can't **_**—" **

"**Don't tell me what I can and can't do, Potter. Now get back to bed, all of you. I've never been more ashamed of Gryffindor students." **

Harry winced; that had probably been the said thing that had hurt most.

**A hundred and fifty points lost. That put Gryffindor in last place. In one night, they'd ruined any chance Gryffindor had had for the house cup. **

Now everybody was looking at the trio curiously; they knew that they won the points back, but they didn't have a clue as to what they had done to do it.

**Harry felt as though the bottom had dropped out of his stomach. How could they ever make up for this? **

McGonagall looked to be regretting her decision now. Hagrid had told her what had happened after they had had their detention; she now knew that they had only been out of bed that late because they were trying to help a friend get rid of an illegal dragon and trying to keep him out of trouble. She felt bad that she had made her poor Gryffindors feel so badly…

**Harry didn't sleep all night. He could hear Neville sobbing into his pillow for what seemed like hours. Harry couldn't think of anything to say to comfort him. He knew Neville, like himself, was dreading the dawn. What would happen when the rest of Gryffindor found out what they'd done? **

"Harry," said Angelina, looking extremely guilty. "I apologize in advance for how I acted."

"Yeah, me too." said Lee; and soon, all of Gryffindor was apologizing to Harry, Hermione, and Neville.

Mrs. Weasley and Sirius narrowed their eyes; what had they done?

**At first, Gryffindors passing the giant hourglasses that recorded the house points the next day thought there'd been a mistake. How could they suddenly have a hundred and fifty points fewer than yesterday? And then the story started to spread: Harry Potter, the famous Harry Potter, their hero of two Quidditch matches, had lost them all those points, him and a couple of other stupid first years. **

They all shook their heads, realizing just how foolish they had been, and how rashly they had acted.

**From being one of the most popular and admired people at the school, Harry was suddenly the most hated. **

Sirius glared.

**Even Ravenclaws and Hufflepuffs turned on him, because everyone had been longing to see Slytherin lose the house cup. Everywhere Harry went, people pointed and didn't trouble to lower their voices as they insulted him. **

McGonagall looked very guilty now. She hadn't meant to torture him…

Umbridge however, was smirking evilly.

**Slytherins, on the other hand, clapped as he walked past them, whistling and cheering, "Thanks Potter, we owe you one!"**

Viola looked angrily at her fellow Slytherins, none of whom seemed to be regretting their past actions at all; in fact, one would think they all looked rather smug about it.

**Only Ron stood by him.**

"Good boy, Ronnie." Mrs. Weasley nodded, smiling at her son.

"You better have!" said Sirius, "Harry doesn't deserve any of this crap!" He seemed very, very angry at how his godson had been treated, and Ron shifted nervously.

_Fourth year… oh no… Sirius will kill me! Mum and Ginny will too… _

One thing was for sure though; Ron was not the only one dreading the fourth year. Harry was constantly thinking about what would happen when they read that book… he wasn't sure how he would be able to relive all that… and everybody else would know what happened the night of the third task too, and not just the glazed over version he had printed in the Quibbler, but the real, sure to be filled with details version. Sirius was scared to see how Harry would react to reading about his fourth year; he had a feeling Harry would have a nervous breakdown before that book was over.

"**They'll all forget this in a few weeks. Fred and George have lost loads of points in all the time they've been here, and people still like them." **

"Too true." said Fred and George, but they did not look ashamed, in fact, they were looking immensely proud of themselves.

"**They've never lost a hundred and fifty points in one go, though, have they?" said Harry miserably. **

"**Well — no," Ron admitted. **

"Well now we can lose however many we want and it won't matter!" Fred said happily.

Many Gryffindors glared at them.

George just shrugged, "For real, Harry always pulls off some miracle at the end of every year winning us enough points that we wouldn't have to win any the whole year accept for Harry's, and we would still win the Cup!"

**It was a bit late to repair the damage, but Harry swore to himself not to meddle in things that weren't his business from now on. **

Ron and Hermione snickered, "Well that didn't last very long." said Ron.

"I tried, all right?" said Harry, smiling.

**He'd had it with sneaking around and spying. **

Ron cracked up again; "Mate, you must have been upset, because for you, this is serious."

McGonagall frowned; Weasley may be making a joke, but it was still true… Harry must've felt awful…

**He felt so ashamed of himself that he went to Wood and offered to resign from the Quidditch team. **

"You WHAT?!" yelled all of Gryffindor, including McGonagall.

"Harry, you're the best seeker we ever had-

"Better than Charlie!" (Charlie grumbled under his breath, not too appreciative of this comment)

"If you had resigned-

"That's ridiculous-

"Harry, you git, what would that do? That is completely absurd-

"You know we were idiots, right? We shouldn't have acted the way we did-

Harry was feeling slightly amused as nearly everyone had began talking at once. "I know, I know," he said, "Wood wouldn't let me, don't worry."

"_**Resign**_**?" Wood thundered. "What good'll that do? How are we going to get any points back if we can't win at Quidditch?" **

"Exactly!" somebody shouted.

**But even Quidditch had lost its fun. **

Nearly everybody's jaws dropped.

"But… but you _love_ Quidditch…" said Ginny.

This seemed to make everybody realize exactly how hard Harry had taken all the slander and insults; and it made them feel like dragon dung. Harry Potter, not having fun in Quidditch? Even when he was in a horrible mood, he always seemed happier and peaceful on a broom. If even that had lost its magic… Harry must've been really put down.

McGonagall was looking downright miserable now; just look what she'd put Harry through…

**The rest of the team wouldn't speak to Harry during practice, and if they had to speak about him, they called him "the Seeker." **

McGonagall looked furious that her Gryffindors would ever act that way to a fellow student.

Sirius was glaring at said team, and Fred and George were looking down at the ground, feeling thoroughly depressed.

**Hermione and Neville were suffering, too. They didn't have as bad a time as Harry, because they weren't as well-known, but nobody would speak to them, either. Hermione had stopped drawing attention to herself in class, keeping her head down and working in silence.**

Remus shook his head, ashamed of the students he had taught; how could they act that way? They were only first years.

**Harry was almost glad that the exams weren't far away. All the studying he had to do kept his mind off his misery. He, Ron, and Hermione kept to themselves, working late into the night, trying to remember the ingredients in complicated potions, learn charms and spells by heart, memorize the dates of magical discoveries and goblin rebellions… **

"Harry, we are SO sorry!" cried many of the females of Gryffindors. Lavender and Pavarti looked to be a bit teary, and Angelina had the appearance of a rather upset house-elf that had disappointed its master, in other words, she looked very very ashamed and guilty.

"It's okay guys, really." said Harry, sending them all a reassuring smile, which made them look even more down.

**Then, about a week before the exams were due to start, Harry's new resolution not to interfere in anything that didn't concern him was put to an unexpected test. Walking back from the library on his own one afternoon, he heard somebody whimpering from a classroom up ahead. As he drew closer, he heard Quirrell's voice. **

"**No — no — not again, please —" **

"Whose he talking to?" asked Eloise Midgen.

**It sounded as though someone was threatening him. Harry moved closer. **

"Harry," said Ron, grinning, "You have officially failed that test of yours."

"**All right — all right —" he heard Quirrell sob. **

"What is going on?" Cho said exasperatedly.

**Next second, Quirrell came hurrying out of the classroom straightening his turban. He was pale and looked as though he was about to cry. **

"Uh oh…" Remus muttered. It seemed as if Quirrell had lost his nerve. Something bad was going to happen soon.

**He strode out of sight; Harry didn't think Quirrell had even noticed him. He waited until Quirrell's footsteps had disappeared, then peered into the classroom. It was empty, but a door stood ajar at the other end. Harry was halfway toward it before he remembered what he'd promised himself about not meddling. **

Ron raised his eyebrows quizzically. "You actually had the restraint to stop yourself?" he asked.

Harry grinned, "Well, like you said, that didn't last long."

**All the same, he'd have gambled twelve Philosopher's Stones that Snape had just left the room, **

Ron held out his hand, "Fork 'em over."

Harry sniggered and held up his empty hands in defense, "I never actually made that bet, Ron."

**and from what Harry had just heard, Snape would be walking with a new spring in his step — Quirrell seemed to have given in at last. **

**Harry went back to the library, where Hermione was testing Ron on Astronomy. Harry told them what he'd heard. **

Ginny grinned, though a bit sadly. She wished Harry would be confident enough to talk to her about important things like that… Little did she know, Cho was thinking the same thing.

"**Snape's done it, then!" said Ron. "If Quirrell's told him how to break his Anti-Dark Force spell —" **

"**There's still Fluffy, though," said Hermione. **

"Fluffy…" somebody sniggered.

Harry smiled fondly; Hagrid and his absurd names…

"**Maybe Snape's found out how to get past him without asking Hagrid," said Ron, looking up at the thousands of books surrounding them. "I bet there's a book somewhere in here telling you how to get past a giant three-headed dog. So what do we do, Harry?" **

"There's not." said Hermione.

"How do you know?" Harry asked.

Her cheeks tinged a faint red; "I checked."

**The light of adventure was kindling again in Ron's eyes, but Hermione answered before Harry could. **"**Go to Dumbledore. That's what we should have done ages ago. If we try anything ourselves we'll be thrown out for sure." **

Dumbledore sighed; if only they _had_ come to him… Harry nearly died that night he went after the stone.

"**But we've got no **_**proof**_**!" said Harry. "Quirrell's too scared to back us up. Snape's only got to say he doesn't know how the troll got in at Halloween and that he was nowhere near the third floor — who do you think they'll believe, him or us? It's not exactly a secret we hate him, Dumbledore'll think we made it up to get him sacked. Filch wouldn't help us if his life depended on it, he's too friendly with Snape, and the more students get thrown out, the better, he'll think. And don't forget, we're not supposed to know about the Stone or Fluffy. That'll take a lot of explaining." **

"That… is actually a good argument." said Snape reluctantly.

**Hermione looked convinced, but Ron didn't. **"**If we just do a bit of poking around —" **

"**No," said Harry flatly, **

"This is weird!" said Ron, chuckling. "I know I've already lived through this once, but we've experienced so much more since it happened, and it just makes it sound four times as strange!"

**"we've done enough poking around." **

Ron shook his head, smiling. Hermione rolled her eyes. She wondered briefly what her life would be like if she wasn't friends with Ron and Harry… she would definitely be a considerable amount safer, but she had a feeling her life would be very dull and boring compared to the one she had now.

**He pulled a map of Jupiter toward him and started to learn the names of its moons. **

**The following morning, notes were delivered to Harry, Hermione, and Neville at the breakfast table. They were all the same: **

_**Your detention will take place at eleven o'clock tonight. Meet Mr. Filch in the entrance hall. **_

_**Professor McGonagall **_

**Harry had forgotten they still had detentions to do in the furor over the points they'd lost. **

McGonagall figured the horrible ridicule they'd had to suffer from losing so many points ought to have served as their only punishment. It was more severe than she had previously imagined.

**He half expected Hermione to complain that this was a whole night of studying lost, but she didn't say a word. Like Harry, she felt they deserved what they'd got.**

**At eleven o'clock that night, they said good-bye to Ron in the common room and went down to the entrance hall with Neville. Filch was already there — and so was Malfoy. Harry had also forgotten that Malfoy had gotten a detention, too. **

Malfoy shivered slightly, thinking about that thing… the thing drinking the unicorn's blood.

Viola noticed and narrowed her eyes at him.

"**Follow me," said Filch, lighting a lamp and leading them outside. **"**I bet you'll think twice about breaking a school rule again, won't you, eh?" he said, leering at them. "Oh yes… hard work and pain are the best teachers if you ask me… It's just a pity they let the old punishments die out… hang you by your wrists from the ceiling for a few days, I've got the chains still in my office, keep 'em well oiled in case they're ever needed… **

"What a way to scare a few first years…" Madam Pomfrey scoffed, very disapproving of the caretaker's behavior.

**Right, off we go, and don't think of running off, now, it'll be worse for you if you do." **

**They marched off across the dark grounds. Neville kept sniffing. Harry wondered what their punishment was going to be. It must be something really horrible, or Filch wouldn't be sounding so delighted. **

**The moon was bright, but clouds scudding across it kept throwing them into darkness. Ahead, Harry could see the lighted windows of Hagrid's hut. Then they heard a distant shout. **

"**Is that you, Filch? Hurry up, I want ter get started." Harry's heart rose; if they were going to be working with Hagrid it wouldn't be so bad. **

"I beg to differ with my past self." Harry muttered.

**His relief must have showed in his face, because Filch said, "I suppose you think you'll be enjoying yourself with that oaf? Well, think again, boy — it's into the forest you're going and I'm much mistaken if you'll all come out in one piece." **

Dolores Umbridge was looking quite gleeful. Finally she knew there was a person at this stupid worthless school that knew the correct way of how to run things. Filch had the right idea. Fear and harsh punishment is the only way to deal with disobeying students. It's the only way to keep them in line.

**At this, Neville let out a little moan, and Malfoy stopped dead in his tracks. **"**The forest?" he repeated, and he didn't sound quite as cool as usual. **

"Not so macho now, are you, Malfoy." said Viola coolly

Malfoy's cheeks tinged. He had nothing to say to that, because it was very true.

"**We can't go in there at night — there's all sorts of things in there — werewolves, I heard." **

Lupin chuckled; "Not anymore."

**Neville clutched the sleeve of Harry's robe and made a choking noise. **

"**That's your problem, isn't it?" said Filch, his voice cracking with glee. "Should've thought of them werewolves before you got in trouble, shouldn't you?" **

**Hagrid came striding toward them out of the dark, Fang at his heel. He was carrying his large crossbow, and a quiver of arrows hung over his shoulder. **

"Well that's reassuring…" Sirius said sarcastically, though the humor not quite reaching his eyes. What did Hagrid need those for?

"**Abou' time," he said. "I bin waitin' fer half an hour already. All right, Harry, Hermione?" **

"Absolutely spiffing." said George, rolling his eyes.

"**I shouldn't be too friendly to them, Hagrid," said Filch coldly, "they're here to be punished, after all." **

"**That's why yer late, is it?" said Hagrid, frowning at Filch. "Bin lecturin' them, eh? 'Snot your place ter do that. Yeh've done yer bit, I'll take over from here." **

Many of the teachers nodded approvingly; they didn't appreciate Filch terrifying their students very much.

"**I'll be back at dawn," said Filch, "for what's left of them," he added nastily, and he turned and started back toward the castle, his lamp bobbing away in the darkness. **

Umbridge chuckled at this, causing many to look at her with the utmost loathing. Madam Bones looked positively disgusted with her colleague, and hoped she would be fired soon.

**Malfoy now turned to Hagrid. **"**I'm not going in that forest," he said, and Harry was pleased to hear the note of panic in his voice. **

Viola grinned; she'd never really liked Malfoy. All the other Slytherin girls secretly fancied him, with his blonde hair and supposedly witty remarks. She herself had never been that attracted to him, and his comments were actually very stupid.

"**Yeh are if yeh want ter stay at Hogwarts," said Hagrid fiercely. "Yeh've done wrong an' now yeh've got ter pay fer it." **

"**But this is servant stuff, it's not for students to do. I thought we'd be copying lines or something, if my father knew I was doing this, he'd—" **

George stifled his laughter before making his voice snide and a slightly higher pitch. "That should be his life saying. 'My father will hear about this!'"

Fred laughed at his brother's impression of Malfoy, it was actually quite accurate.

Said boy glared at them.

"—**tell yer that's how it is at Hogwarts," Hagrid growled. "Copyin' lines! What good's that ter anyone? Yeh'll do summat useful or yeh'll get out. If yeh think yer father'd rather you were expelled, then get back off ter the castle an' pack. Go on." **

"Aaahhh…" Ron sighed, "One can dream…"

**Malfoy didn't move. **

"Pity, that is."

**He looked at Hagrid furiously, but then dropped his gaze. **

"**Right then," said Hagrid, "now, listen carefully, 'cause it's dangerous what we're gonna do tonight, an' I don' want no one takin' risks.**

"If it's dangerous, than _why_ are they going to do it?!" asked Molly Weasley furiously.

**Follow me over here a moment." **

**He led them to the very edge of the forest. Holding his lamp up high, he pointed down a narrow, winding earth track that disappeared into the thick black trees. A light breeze lifted their hair as they looked into the forest. **

Cho shivered, creepy.

"**Look there," said Hagrid, "see that stuff shinin' on the ground? Silvery stuff? That's unicorn blood. **

Sirius was on his feet. "Unicorn blood?" he asked, pale as a ghost. "Don't you realize… have you no idea…" He was too shocked and angry to make a full sentence.

Remus, who had grasped the severity of the situation as well, looked just as angry, but he kept his head enough so that he could speak. "You do know how serious this is, don't you?" he asked the teachers, though he was mostly directing his words at McGonagall who was the one who had assigned the detention in the first place. "A thing that can injure a unicorn… whatever it is, it can't be good. This is dangerous. What were you thinking, sending four first years out there at night?"

McGonagall was shaking slightly. "I-I had no idea that's what they were doing in there…" she said. She turned on Hagrid, "Why didn't you tell me?"

Remus and Sirius sat back down, though they were were very stiff and tense.

**There's a unicorn in there bin hurt badly by summat. This is the second time in a week. I found one dead last Wednesday. **

"Oh no, oh no, oh no…" Mrs. Weasley was muttering very quickly and quietly under her breath.

**We're gonna try an' find the poor thing. We might have ter put it out of its misery." **

"**And what if whatever hurt the unicorn finds us first?" said Malfoy, unable to keep the fear out of his voice. **

"That is a valid question." said Remus, worried.

"**There's nothin' that lives in the forest that'll hurt yeh if yer with me or Fang," **

"Fang? That dog is a bloody coward!" said Sirius.

**said Hagrid. "An' keep ter the path. Right, now, we're gonna split inter two parties **

"Nooo…" Molly groaned, clutching her husband's arm. "Don't split up!"

**an' follow the trail in diff'rent directions. There's blood all over the place, it must've bin staggerin' around since last night at least." **

"**I want Fang," said Malfoy quickly, looking at Fang's long teeth. **

"**All right, but I warn yeh, he's a coward," said Hagrid. **

"Then what's the point of bringing him along?" asked Malfoy under his breath.

**"So me, Harry, an' Hermione'll go one way an' Draco, Neville, an' Fang'll go the other. **

"You left Malfoy with Neville?" Viola shrieked. Knowing her fellow Slytherin, he would try something and scare Neville out of his shoes.

**Now, if any of us finds the unicorn, we'll send up green sparks, right? Get yer wands out an' practice now — that's it — an' if anyone gets in trouble, send up red sparks, an' we'll all come an' find yeh — so, be careful — let's go." **

**The forest was black and silent. A little way into it they reached a fork in the earth path, and Harry, Hermione, and Hagrid took the left path while Malfoy, Neville, and Fang took the right. **

Molly was whimpering, and Sirius put his arm around Harry again, clutching him very tightly, as if to assure himself he was okay.

**They walked in silence, their eyes on the ground. Every now and then a ray of moonlight through the branches above lit a spot of silver-blue blood on the fallen leaves. **

**Harry saw that Hagrid looked very worried. **

"_**Could **_**a werewolf be killing the unicorns?" Harry asked. **

Lupin shook his head stiffly due to his worry, "No, no, werewolves aren't fast enough to catch a unicorn." he said, waving the question away.

"**Not fast enough," said Hagrid. "It's not easy ter catch a unicorn, they're powerful magic creatures. I never knew one ter be hurt before."**

**They walked past a mossy tree stump. Harry could hear running water; there must be a stream somewhere close by. **

The teachers all looked impressed, even Snape, but none more than Moody. He was listening to his surroundings and taking them in even in the given situation.

**There were still spots of unicorn blood here and there along the winding path. **

"**You all right, Hermione?" Hagrid whispered. "Don' worry, it can't've gone far if it's this badly hurt, an' then we'll be able ter — GET BEHIND THAT TREE!" **

Ginny let out a mangled cry, and Harry wished he could comfort her in some way.

**Hagrid seized Harry and Hermione and hoisted them off the path behind a towering oak. He pulled out an arrow and fitted it into his crossbow, raising it, ready to fire. The three of them listened. Something was slithering over dead leaves nearby: it sounded like a cloak trailing along the ground. **

Moody nodded, yet again. That boy had the perfect makings of an Auror.

**Hagrid was squinting up the dark path, but after a few seconds, the sound faded away. **"**I knew it," he murmured. "There's summat in here that shouldn' be." **

"**A werewolf?" Harry suggested. **

Lupin tried to give a weak smile, but it just turned into a grimace; he was too worried to smile right now.

"**That wasn' no werewolf an' it wasn' no unicorn, neither," said Hagrid grimly. "Right, follow me, but careful, now." **

**They walked more slowly, ears straining for the faintest sound. Suddenly, in a clearing ahead, something definitely moved. **

"**Who's there?" Hagrid called. "Show yerself — I'm armed!" **

**And into the clearing came — was it a man, or a horse? To the waist, a man, with red hair and beard, but below that was a horse's gleaming chestnut body with a long, reddish tail. Harry and Hermione's jaws dropped. **

"A centaur…" someone said with awe.

Umbridge wrinkled her nose as if something smelled bad; filthy halfbreed.

"**Oh, it's you, Ronan," said Hagrid in relief. "How are yeh?" He walked forward and shook the centaur's hand. **

"**Good evening to you, Hagrid," said Ronan. He had a deep, sorrowful voice. "Were you going to shoot me?" **

"**Can't be too careful, Ronan," said Hagrid, patting his crossbow. "There's summat bad loose in this forest. This is Harry Potter an' Hermione Granger, by the way. Students up at the school. An' this is Ronan, you two. He's a centaur."**

"**We'd noticed," said Hermione faintly. **

"**Good evening," said Ronan. "Students, are you? And do you learn much, up at the school?" **

"**Erm —" **

"**A bit," said Hermione timidly. **

This seemed to call for quite a bit of laughter, especially from Ron. "If you've learned 'a bit', than the rest of us are just plain stupid!"

"**A bit. Well, that's something." Ronan sighed. He flung back his head and stared at the sky. "Mars is bright tonight." **

"Mars is the planet of war…" Remus said, frowning.

"**Yeah," said Hagrid, glancing up, too. "Listen, I'm glad we've run inter yeh, Ronan, 'cause there's a unicorn bin hurt — you seen anythin'?" **

**Ronan didn't answer immediately. He stared unblinkingly upward, then sighed again. **"**Always the innocent are the first victims," he said. "So it has been for ages past, so it is now." **

"Too true…" said Harry, suddenly in a somber mood, thinking of his parents… Cedric… Frank and Alice Longbottom… and so many more.

"**Yeah," said Hagrid, "but have yeh seen anythin' Ronan? Anythin' unusual?" **

"**Mars is bright tonight," Ronan repeated, **

The twins snorted; they liked this centaur.

**while Hagrid watched him impatiently. "Unusually bright." **

"I think we get it." said Lee Jordan, laughing with Fred and George.

"**Yeah, but I was meanin' anythin' unusual a bit nearer home," said Hagrid. "So yeh haven't noticed anythin' strange?" **

**Yet again, Ronan took a while to answer. At last, he said, "The forest hides many secrets." **

"Bloody centaur riddles…" Hagrid grumbled.

**A movement in the trees behind Ronan made Hagrid raise his bow again, but it was only a second centaur, black-haired and - bodied and wilder-looking than Ronan. **

"**Hullo, Bane," said Hagrid. "All right?" **

"**Good evening, Hagrid, I hope you are well?" **

"**Well enough. Look, I've jus' bin askin' Ronan, you seen anythin' odd in here lately? There's a unicorn bin injured — would yeh know anythin' about it?" **

**Bane walked over to stand next to Ronan. He looked skyward. "Mars is bright tonight," he said simply. **

Hagrid shook his head. "What does that even mean?" he asked irritably.

"**We've heard," said Hagrid grumpily. **"**Well, if either of you do see anythin', let me know, won't yeh? We'll be off, then." **

**Harry and Hermione followed him out of the clearing, staring over their shoulders at Ronan and Bane until the trees blocked their view. **

"**Never," said Hagrid irritably, "try an' get a straight answer out of a centaur. Ruddy stargazers. Not interested in anythin' closer'n the moon." **

"Yeah, they're especially interested in Uranus." Fred sniggered.

"**Are there many of **_**them **_**in here?" asked Hermione. **

"**Oh, a fair few… Keep themselves to themselves mostly, but they're good enough about turnin' up if ever I want a word. They're deep, mind, centaurs… they know things… jus' don' let on much." **

Umbridge was looking annoyed; centaurs do not 'know things', they were stupid dim witted half breeds that could not even be compared to the glory of witches and wizards. Shows what that oaf, Hagrid, knew.

"**D'you think that was a centaur we heard earlier?" said Harry. **

"**Did that sound like hooves to you? Nah, if yeh ask me, that was what's bin killin' the unicorns – never heard anythin' like it before." **

**They walked on through the dense, dark trees. Harry kept looking nervously over his shoulder. He had the nasty feeling they were being watched. **

"Harry, if you feel as if you're being watched," said Hermione seriously, "Than you are."

"Yeah mate, never doubt your instincts." added Ron "They're usually right."

**He was very glad they had Hagrid and his crossbow with them. They had just passed a bend in the path when Hermione grabbed Hagrid's arm. **"**Hagrid! Look! Red sparks, the others are in trouble!" **

Everyone looked nervously at Neville, that is, all except the trio, who were glaring at Malfoy, and Viola, who was staring at him with her eyes narrowed suspiciously.

"**You two wait here!" Hagrid shouted. "Stay on the path, I'll come back for yeh!" **

"No, don't leave them!" said Mrs. Weasley.

"The others could be in trouble though." somebody pointed out.

**They heard him crashing away through the undergrowth and stood looking at each other, very scared, until they couldn't hear anything but the rustling of leaves around them. **

"**You don't think they've been hurt, do you?" whispered Hermione. **

"**I don't care if Malfoy has, but if something's got Neville… it's our fault he's here in the first place." **

"Thanks, Potter." said Malfoy nastily.

"Thanks for worrying, Harry." said Neville, in a completely different tone than Malfoys.

**The minutes dragged by. Their ears seemed sharper than usual. Harry's seemed to be picking up every sigh of the wind, every cracking twig. **

Moody's lips curled into a smile. Many other people seemed impressed too.

**What was going on? Where were the others? **

**At last, a great crunching noise announced Hagrid's return. Malfoy, Neville, and Fang were with him. Hagrid was fuming. Malfoy, it seemed, had sneaked up behind Neville and grabbed him as a joke. Neville had panicked and sent up the sparks. **

Nearly everyone was glaring at Malfoy now.

"You complete PRAT!" Viola spat. "You give us Slytherins a bad name!" she turned to Harry, Ron, and Hermione, "Not all of us are like Malfoy, Harry." she said, sounding as if she were pleading for acceptance. "I've been fighting against our horrible reputation for years, and he only makes it worse. I'm not like that, I'm not…"

Harry smiled kindly at her. "Don't worry, I know you're not." he said. "I evaluate people as an individual, not a group."

She looked oddly relieved, and Malfoy felt an unfamiliar feeling inside him; guilt. He didn't like that he had made the girl so miserable and ashamed to be Slytherin.

"**We'll be lucky ter catch anythin' now, with the racket you two were makin'. Right, we're changin' groups — Neville, you stay with me an' Hermione, Harry, you go with Fang an' this idiot. **

Sirius groaned. He had learned something from this book; never _ever_ leave Harry alone (apparently Malfoy was such a coward that he didn't count). Something is bound to happen, and the odds that it's good are very slim. Other people seemed to realize this as well.

Ron and Hermione had known this for years.

**I'm sorry," Hagrid added in a whisper to Harry, "but he'll have a harder time frightenin' you, an' we've gotta get this done." **

"Though that is true," said Sirius through gritted teeth, "You don't just leave Harry when there's something dangerous nearby, because he is more than likely to find it."

"I didn't go looking for it!" said Harry. "We just sort of… ran into each other."

Everyone groaned and slapped the floor or their foreheads in frustration; they had guessed Harry would meet whatever it was that was attacking the unicorns, but they had still had hope that maybe they were wrong. Harry's words had just dashed all their hopes away.

**So Harry set off into the heart of the forest with Malfoy and Fang. They walked for nearly half an hour, deeper and deeper into the forest, until the path became almost impossible to follow because the trees were so thick. **

"That's really far in…" said Cho, who had always been one to follow the rules (until the D.A. of course), and never would have set foot in the forest.

**Harry thought the blood seemed to be getting thicker. There were splashes on the roots of a tree, as though the poor creature had been thrashing around in pain close by. **

People tensed in anticipation.

**Harry could see a clearing ahead, through the tangled branches of an ancient oak. **"**Look —" he murmured, holding out his arm to stop Malfoy. **

A few people looked at Harry as if they had never seen him before. Everybody knew Harry and Malfoy were enemies; and yet Harry had stopped him? Was he, perhaps, concerned for his safety? Malfoy would ditch Harry in a second if there was any hint of danger, and yet Harry…

Harry really was something else.

**Something bright white was gleaming on the ground. **

"Of course, you had to be the one to find it." Lupin sighed.

**They inched closer. **

**It was the unicorn all right, and it was dead. **

Gasps were heard throughout the Hall.

**Harry had never seen anything so beautiful and sad. Its long, slender legs were stuck out at odd angles where it had fallen and its mane was spread pearly-white on the dark leaves. **

**Harry had taken one step toward it when a slithering sound made him freeze where he stood. **

"Oh my…" Mrs. Weasley muttered.

Ginny scooted closer to Harry and grabbed his hand.

Harry seemed rather surprised at this, but he supposed she just needed the comfort like Sirius, whose arm was still wrapped around him, clutching him almost painfully.

**A bush on the edge of the clearing quivered… Then, out of the shadows, a hooded figure came crawling across the ground like some stalking beast. Harry, Malfoy, and Fang stood transfixed. The cloaked figure reached the unicorn, lowered its head over the wound in the animal's side, and began to drink its blood. **

"Merlin…" Arthur Weasley whispered, he was looking rather green.

"**AAAAAAAAAARGH!" Malfoy let out a terrible scream and bolted — so did Fang. **

This just proved what everybody had though earlier. They shook their heads in disgust.

**The hooded figure raised its head and looked right at Harry — unicorn blood was dribbling down its front. **

Cho put a hand over her mouth.

**It got to its feet and came swiftly toward Harry — he couldn't move for fear. **

Ron and Hermione stared at Harry. He never froze. He was the bravest person they knew.

**Then a pain like he'd never felt before pierced his head; it was as though his scar were on fire. **

A few people winced; though many looked confused.

Other people, who knew what the significance of his scar hurting meant, gasped.

McGonagall was looking very pale, and she regretted more than ever her decision to have them serve detention in the Forest.

**Half blinded, he staggered backward. **

"Good," said Moody, "Get out of there."

"Why were you half blind?" somebody asked.

"The pain." Harry said, and his friends and teachers winced at how simply he said it. As if pain was just a part of his everyday life, which, they reminded themselves, it probably was.

**He heard hooves behind him, galloping, and something jumped clean over Harry, charging at the figure. **

**The pain in Harry's head was so bad he fell to his knees. **

Ron and Hermione looked very sad and slightly ashamed; they knew Harry's scar hurt, but they didn't know it was that bad…

**It took a minute or two to pass. When he looked up, the figure had gone. A centaur was standing over him, not Ronan or Bane; this one looked younger; he had white-blond hair and a palomino body. **"**Are you all right?" said the centaur, pulling Harry to his feet. **

"**Yes — thank you — what **_**was **_**that?" **

"That's what I want to know." said somebody who did not know about Harry's scar pain.

**The centaur didn't answer. He had astonishingly blue eyes, like pale sapphires. He looked carefully at Harry, his eyes lingering on the scar that stood out, livid, on Harry's forehead. **"**You are the Potter boy," he said. "You had better get back to Hagrid. The forest is not safe at this time — especially for you. Can you ride? It will be quicker this way. **

Many stared at Harry in shock and awe and jealousy. He rode a centaur? That is a rare and once in a blue moon chance…

"**My name is Firenze," he added, as he lowered himself on to his front legs so that Harry could clamber onto his back. **

**There was suddenly a sound of more galloping from the other side of the clearing. Ronan and Bane came bursting through the trees, their flanks heaving and sweaty. **

"**Firenze!" Bane thundered. "What are you doing? You have a human on your back! Have you no shame? Are you a common mule?" **

"**Do you realize who this is?" said Firenze. "This is the Potter boy. The quicker he leaves this forest, the better." **

Many people nodded; get Harry out of there!

"**What have you been telling him?" growled Bane. "Remember, Firenze, we are sworn not to set ourselves against the heavens. Have we not read what is to come in the movements of the planets?" **

**Ronan pawed the ground nervously. "I'm sure Firenze thought he was acting for the best," he said in his gloomy voice. **

**Bane kicked his back legs in anger. **"**For the best! What is that to do with us? Centaurs are concerned with what has been foretold! It is not our business to run around like donkeys after stray humans in our forest!" **

"He just saved Harry's life!" Sirius said crossly, still not relinquishing his grip on his godson.

**Firenze suddenly reared on to his hind legs in anger, so that Harry had to grab his shoulders to stay on. **"**Do you not see that unicorn?" Firenze bellowed at Bane. **"**Do you not understand why it was killed? Or have the planets not let you in on that secret? I set myself against what is lurking in this forest, Bane, yes, with humans alongside me if I must." **

"That is one awesome centaur." said Charlie Weasley in awe and respect.

**And Firenze whisked around; with Harry clutching on as best he could, they plunged off into the trees, leaving Ronan and Bane behind them. **

**Harry didn't have a clue what was going on. **

Ron couldn't hold back a snort, "Nothing new, then."

"**Why's Bane so angry?" he asked. "What was that thing you saved me from, anyway?" **

**Firenze slowed to a walk, warned Harry to keep his head bowed in case of low-hanging branches, but did not answer Harry's question. **

Hagrid muttered something about 'centaurs, the ruddy stargazers'.

**They made their way through the trees in silence for so long that Harry thought Firenze didn't want to talk to him anymore. They were passing through a particularly dense patch of trees, however, when Firenze suddenly stopped. **"**Harry Potter, do you know what unicorn blood is used for?" **

"**No," said Harry, startled by the odd question. "We've only used the horn and tail hair in Potions." **

"Too right." said Snape.

"**That is because it is a monstrous thing, to slay a unicorn," said Firenze. **"**Only one who has nothing to lose, and everything to gain, would commit such a crime. The blood of a unicorn will keep you alive, even if you are an inch from death, but at a terrible price. You have slain something pure and defenseless to save yourself, and you will have but a half-life, a cursed life, from the moment the blood touches your lips." **

"But who…" said Pavarti, then she gasped.

**Harry stared at the back of Firenze's head, which was dappled silver in the moonlight. **"**But who'd be that desperate?" he wondered aloud. "If you're going to be cursed forever, death's better, isn't it?" **

"Yes." said Harry quietly.

"**It is," Firenze agreed, "unless all you need is to stay alive long enough to drink something else — something that will bring you back to full strength and power — something that will mean you can never die. Mr. Potter, do you know what is hidden in the school at this very moment?" **

"**The Philosopher's Stone! Of course — the Elixir of Life! But I don't understand who —" **

"**Can you think of nobody who has waited many years to return to power, who has clung to life, awaiting their chance?" **

"Oh no…" said Pavarti, hoping she was wrong.

**It was as though an iron fist had clenched suddenly around Harry's heart. **

It was weird for those who personally knew Harry to know that he was afraid. Harry never showed his fear, so they had just stupidly assumed that he didn't have any.

**Over the rustling of the trees, he seemed to hear once more what Hagrid had told him on the night they had met: "Some say he died. Codswallop, in my opinion. Dunno if he had enough human left in him to die." **

"**Do you mean," Harry croaked, "that was **_**Vol- **_**" **

"It was not!" snapped Umbridge, but everyone ignored her.

"**Harry! Harry, are you all right?" Hermione was running toward them down the path, Hagrid puffing along behind her. **

"I was so worried…" said Hermione.

"**I'm fine," said Harry, hardly knowing what he was saying. **

"I could tell you weren't, you know." she said.

"**The unicorn's dead, Hagrid, it's in that clearing back there." **

"**This is where I leave you," Firenze murmured as Hagrid hurried off to examine the unicorn. "You are safe now." **

**Harry slid off his back. **

"**Good luck, Harry Potter," said Firenze. "The planets have been read wrongly before now, even by centaurs. I hope this is one of those times." He turned and cantered back into the depths of the forest, leaving Harry shivering behind him. **

**Ron had fallen asleep in the dark common room, waiting for them to return. He shouted something about Quidditch fouls when Harry roughly shook him awake. **

A few people smiled weakly, not in the mood to laugh.

**In a matter of seconds, though, he was wide-eyed as Harry began to tell him and Hermione what had happened in the forest. Harry couldn't sit down. He paced up and down in front of the fire. He was still shaking. **

Really, Ron and Hermione thought, they hadn't noticed.

"**Snape wants the stone for Voldemort… and Voldemort's waiting in the forest… and all this time we thought Snape just wanted to get rich…" **

"**Stop saying the name!" said Ron in a terrified whisper, as if he thought Voldemort could hear them. **

**Harry wasn't listening. **

Ron rolled his eyes at Harry.

"**Firenze saved me, but he shouldn't have done so… Bane was furious… he was talking about interfering with what the planets say is going to happen… They must show that Voldemort's coming back… Bane thinks Firenze should have let Voldemort kill me… I suppose that's written in the stars as well." **

"Don't talk like that!" Sirius reprimanded.

"_**Will you stop saying the name!" **_**Ron hissed. **

"Nope," sighed Harry.

"**So all I've got to wait for now is Snape to steal the Stone," Harry went on feverishly, "then Voldemort will be able to come and finish me off… Well, I suppose Bane'll be happy." **

"Don't!" cried Ginny. "You're thoughts can be so awful sometimes, Harry!"

**Hermione looked very frightened, but she had a word of comfort. **

"Of course I was frightened!" she snapped at Harry.

"**Harry, everyone says Dumbledore's the only one You-Know-Who was ever afraid of, with Dumbledore around, You-Know-Who won't touch you. Anyway, who says the centaurs are right? It sounds like fortune-telling to me, and Professor McGonagall says that's a very imprecise branch of magic." **

**The sky had turned light before they stopped talking. They went to bed exhausted, their throats sore. But the night's surprises weren't over. When Harry pulled back his sheets, he found his invisibility cloak folded neatly underneath them. There was a note pinned to it: **

_**Just in case. **_

"That's all." said Collin shakily.

A/N: Enjoy and review!


	15. Through the Trapdoor

A/N: Thank you for your continued support!

"Harry! Harry I think you should read next!" said Collin excitedly.

"What- No! No way!" said Harry, crossing his arms. "I refuse to be a part of this. I'm not reading. Nope. No way in hell."

A few people looked at him bemusedly. "Why not?"

Harry stared around incredulously. "I'm not reading my own thoughts out loud for everyone! Reading this monster book on my life was not my idea, and I am not going to take part in it! Living through it once is bad enough; I am not going to read the next chapter."

What's the chapter called anyway?" asked Hermione curiously.

Collin turned the page. "Through the Trapdoor".

"Merlin!" somebody cried in exasperation. "You three just don't stop, do you!?"

"What do you mean 'through the trapdoor'?" asked Sirius, looking grave. "You don't actually go down there, do you?"

"Well- I- Er-" Harry stammered. "I had to!"

Sirius closed his eyes. This book was going to kill him, he knew it.

"You did _not_ have to!" cried Mrs. Weasley. "You could have gone to a teacher!"

"Exactly!" cried McGonagall. "You should have gone to-" but she stopped dead and all color drained from her face. "Merlin… you did go to a teacher…"

"What?" someone asked.

"Why would they be going through the trapdoor if they had gone to a teacher?" asked Remus slowly.

"I bet if we read the bloody book we might just find out!" said Malfoy, irritated.

"Potter! Read." said Umbridge.

"What?! But-

"Read!"

Grumbling to himself, Harry took the book from Collin. **'Through The Trapdoor,' **

**In years to come, Harry would never quite remember how he had managed to get through his exams when he half expected Voldemort to come bursting through the door at any moment. **

"Why did you never tell us?" asked Hermione. She had been so stressed about the upcoming exams that she didn't have the time to worry about Voldemort. Ron had just been unable to completely grasp the fact that Voldemort was after Harry; it had all just seemed so surreal and impossible…

**Yet the days crept by, and there could be no doubt that Fluffy was still alive and well behind the locked door. **

Many shook their heads. No eleven year old boy should have to worry about things on this scale of importance.

**It was sweltering hot, especially in the large classroom where they did their written papers. They had been given special, new quills for the exams, which had been bewitched with an Anticheating spell. **

Fred shook his head, clucking his tongue. "Those are stupid."

McGonagall raised her eyebrows. "You may call them whatever you wish, Mr. Weasley, but I assure you, they are quite necessary to keep people like you from cheating."

"Moi!" asked Fred, a hand pointing at himself with a faint air of surprise. "Absurd!"

"Ridiculous!" said George.

"Absolutely outrageous!" said Fred.

**They had practical exams as well. Professor Flitwick called them one by one into his class to see if they could make a pineapple tap-dance across a desk. **

Ron just shrugged pointedly, giving the teachers skeptical looks that Harry had to try hard not to laugh at. The look was pointedly saying 'when on Earth is that ever going to be a valuable skill?' Harry had to agree with Ron though, what is the point of making a pineapple tap-dance?

**Professor McGonagall watched them turn a mouse into a snuffbox — points were given for how pretty the snuffbox was, **

"That is obviously a test that all guys didn't want to do too well on." said George, and McGonagall raised her eyebrows at him.

"Well, what guy would want to brag about having the most 'pretty' snuffbox?" asked Fred in explanation.

"I know I would probably die of embarrassment." sighed George.

**but taken away if it had whiskers. **

**Snape made them all nervous, breathing down their necks while they tried to remember how to make a Forgetfulness potion. **

"Severus!" said McGonagall. "The fumes from the potion would make them forget how to make it! You were deliberately trying to make the students get lower marks!"

**Harry did the best he could, trying to ignore the stabbing pains in his forehead, which had been bothering him ever since his trip into the forest. **

"Was it really that bothersome?" asked Ron.

Harry shook his head. "At the time, I thought so, but comparing it to now…" Harry rubbed his prickling scar absently.

**Neville thought Harry had a bad case of exam nerves because Harry couldn't sleep, **

"No, that's just Harry. He never sleeps." Neville muttered.

**but the truth was that Harry kept being woken by his old nightmare, except that it was now worse than ever because there was a hooded figure dripping blood in it. **

"Harry!" cried Hermione.

"It's not like I can control my dreams, Hermione!" said Harry before returning to reading the book.

**Maybe it was because they hadn't seen what Harry had seen in the forest, or because they didn't have scars burning on their foreheads, but Ron and Hermione didn't seem as worried about the Stone as Harry. **

"That's because we weren't." said Hermione in a small voice. Exams had distracted her from everything else at the time. If she had known her friend was about to have a nervous breakdown…

**The idea of Voldemort certainly scared them, but he didn't keep visiting them in dreams, and they were so busy with their studying they didn't have much time to fret about what Snape or anyone else might be up to. **

"Harry," said Luna, staring at the ceiling, "You really do brood too much; although there's really nothing you can do about it."

"Why not?" asked Mrs. Weasley, clearly not liking the truth in what Luna had said.

Luna turned to her with wide eyes. "Why, the Flaxing Darnibbles, of course!"

Mrs. Weasley was at a loss for words, and Harry and Ron had to avoid each other's gaze so as to keep from bursting out in laughter.

**Their very last exam was History of Magic. One hour of answering questions about batty old wizards who'd invented selfstirring cauldrons **

"I like how you phrase that, Harry," chuckled Sirius.

**and they'd be free, free for a whole wonderful week until their exam results came out. When the ghost of Professor Binns told them to put down their quills and roll up their parchment, Harry couldn't help cheering with the rest. **

"**That was far easier than I thought it would be," said Hermione **

"Of course it was." sighed a Ravenclaw, whishing Hermione were in her house.

**as they joined the crowds flocking out onto the sunny grounds. **"**I needn't have learned about the 1637 Werewolf Code of Conduct or the uprising of Elfric the Eager." **

"Of course not!" cried McGonagall. "You're not tested on that until third year!"

Hermione blushed. "I just wanted to be prepared for anything."

**Hermione always liked to go through their exam papers afterward, but Ron said this made him feel ill, **

"I feel for you," said Sirius, grimacing, "Remus here liked to do that as well."

**so they wandered down to the lake and flopped under a tree. The Weasley twins and Lee Jordan were tickling the tentacles of a giant squid, which was basking in the warm shallows. **

"What?" the three asked together. "Carl is really nice."

"Carl?" asked a sneering Malfoy. "What kind of a name is that for a giant squid?"

"What kind of a name is Draco for a human?" they snapped back, and Malfoy turned pink.

"**No more studying," Ron sighed happily, stretching out on the grass. "You could look more cheerful, Harry, we've got a week before we find out how badly we've done, there's no need to worry yet." **

Realization dawned on Ron's face. "Oh, I get it now! It wasn't exam results you were worried about!"

Hermione groaned in frustration. "Sometimes I worry about you Ronald." she said, shaking her head.

**Harry was rubbing his forehead. **"**I wish I knew what this **_**means**_**!" he burst out angrily. "My scar keeps hurting — it's happened before, but never as often as this." **

All eyes turned on Harry's scar, who tried to pat his hair down nervously.

Severus blanched. That was a so non-Potter thing to do. Wasn't James always messing his hair up, so that more girls would look at him? Wasn't James Potter always one to ruffle his hand through his hair so that it looked like he had just got off his broom?"

"**Go to Madam Pomfrey," Hermione suggested. **

"You really should have." Madam Pomfrey told him.

Harry sighed. "There's nothing you could do for it!"

"**I'm not ill," said Harry. "I think it's a warning… it means danger's coming…" **

"Well, that clears up that mystery then!" said Ron, brushing his hands together as if he were trying to get dirt off them.

"Er… what mystery?" asked Harry, perplexed.

"Why your scar always hurts! You're _always_ in danger, aren't you?"

"Fair point." Harry grumbled, lifting the book to read again.

**Ron couldn't get worked up, it was too hot. **

The Weasleys all laughed, especially Fred and George. "That was bloody brilliant Harry!" they cried.

Ron was very red and glaring at Harry.

"Hey, don't look at me, I didn't ask for my thoughts to be read aloud.

"**Harry, relax, **

"Never going to happen." Hermione sighed sadly.

**Hermione's right, the Stone's safe as long as Dumbledore's around. Anyway, we've never had any proof Snape found out how to get past Fluffy. He nearly had his leg ripped off once, he's not going to try it again in a hurry. And Neville will play Quidditch for England before Hagrid lets Dumbledore down." **

"Er, sorry about that, Neville." said Ron, rubbing the back of his neck.

"Oh, no, you're completely right." Neville shivered. "I hate flying…"

**Harry nodded, but he couldn't shake off a lurking feeling that there was something he'd forgotten to do, something important. When he tried to explain this, Hermione said, "That's just the exams. **

"I don't think its exams, Hermione." said Ginny, absolutely terrified of what would be coming. She wasn't at Hogwarts that year, so she didn't even know the crazy rumors of what had happened (which didn't really matter, because none came even relatively close to the truth).

**I woke up last night and was halfway through my Transfiguration notes before I remembered we'd done that one." **

"Hermione, Hermione, Hermione," said George, shaking his head.

"This is why we all love you darling." added Fred.

**Harry was quite sure the unsettled feeling didn't have anything to do with work, though. He watched an owl flutter toward the school across the bright blue sky, a note clamped in its mouth. Hagrid was the only one who ever sent him letters. Hagrid would never betray Dumbledore. Hagrid would never tell anyone how to get past Fluffy… never… but… **

"But what?" Mrs. Weasley frowned.

**Harry suddenly jumped to his feet. **

Remus sat up straighter; Harry figured something out.

"I really hate it when you do that, mate." said Ron.

"What?"

"You'll just be sitting there, and then all of the sudden you'll have this great burst of understanding with nothing to even suggest where the understanding even came from. You'll realize something out of nowhere, without anything to go on, and it'll be right! Hermione does it too. And then you don't even tell us what you found out!"

Harry chuckled. "Next time, I'll make sure I-

"There won't be a next time!" said Mrs. Weasley in a panicky voice.

"**Where're you going?" said Ron sleepily. **

"Oh, wake up Ronald!" said Ginny sharply; Harry had obviously just realized something important.

"**I've just thought of something," said Harry. He had turned white. **

"We know that look all too well." Ron and Hermione grumbled.

Sirius felt fear clutch at his stomach.

**"We've got to go and see Hagrid, now." **

"**Why?" panted Hermione, hurrying to keep up. **

"You are bloody fast when you want to be, Harry." said Hermione.

"**Don't you think it's a bit odd," said Harry, scrambling up the grassy slope, "that what Hagrid wants more than anything else is a dragon, and a stranger turns up who just happens to have an egg in his pocket? How many people wander around with dragon eggs if it's against wizard law? Lucky they found Hagrid, don't you think? Why didn't I see it before?" **

"See _what?_" somebody asked. "What is he even talking about?"

"Don't even try to understand how Harry's mind works," said Ron knowledgably, "You'll just get a headache."

"**What are you talking about?" said Ron, but Harry, sprinting across the grounds toward the forest, didn't answer.**

"I reckon you could outrun anything." grumbled Ron.

**Hagrid was sitting in an armchair outside his house; his trousers and sleeves were rolled up, and he was shelling peas into a large bowl. **"**Hullo," he said, smiling. "Finished yer exams? Got time fer a drink?" **

"**Yes, please," said Ron, but Harry cut him off. **

Ron scowled and the twins snickered.

"**No, we're in a hurry. Hagrid, I've got to ask you something. You know that night you won Norbert? What did the stranger you were playing cards with look like?" **

"**Dunno," said Hagrid casually, "he wouldn' take his cloak off." **

"Not good." said Mrs. Weasley, paling slightly.

**He saw the three of them look stunned and raised his eyebrows. **

"**It's not that unusual, yeh get a lot o' funny folk in the Hog's Head — that's one of the pubs down in the village. Mighta bin a dragon dealer, mightn' he? I never saw his face, he kept his hood up." **

**Harry sank down next to the bowl of peas. "What did you talk to him about, Hagrid? Did you mention Hogwarts at all?" **

"What's he getting at?" asked Terry Boot.

"**Mighta come up," said Hagrid, frowning as he tried to remember. "Yeah… he asked what I did, an' I told him I was gamekeeper here… He asked a bit about the sorta creatures I took after… so I told him… an' I said what I'd always really wanted was a dragon… an' then… I can' remember too well, 'cause he kept buyin' me drinks… **

"Hagrid!" moaned all the teachers.

Umbridge wrote something down on her clipboard with a smile on her face.

**Let's see… yeah, then he said he had the dragon egg an' we could play cards fer it if I wanted… but he had ter be sure I could handle it, he didn' want it ter go ter any old home… So I told him, after Fluffy, a dragon would be easy…" **

"**And did he — did he seem interested in Fluffy?" Harry asked, trying to keep his voice calm. **

"I get it now…" said Remus. "This is not good… not good at all…"

"What? What do you get, Moony?" asked Sirius.

"**Well — yeah — how many three-headed dogs d'yeh meet, even around Hogwarts? So I told him, Fluffy's a piece o' cake if yeh know how to calm him down, jus' play him a bit o' music an' he'll go straight off ter sleep —" **

"You did not just say that to the three most curious, reckless, noble, rash Gryffindor students in the school!" said McGonagall, hand over her heart. "That was very irresponsible of you, Hagrid!"

Hagrid was looking very ashamed.

**Hagrid suddenly looked horrified. **

"As you should!" said McGonagall.

"**I shouldn'ta told yeh that!" he blurted out. **

"No, you shouldn't have!" snapped Mrs. Weasley, on edge because of what she didn't know was coming. All she knew is that Ron had gotten injured, and Harry had been face to face with Voldemort.

**"Forget I said it! Hey — where're yeh goin'?" **

"Gee, I wonder?" said Lee, rubbing his chin in deep thought. "Can't have been to sneak through the trapdoor, now can it?"

"Actually," said Harry, "It wasn't. We only went through there as a last resort."

Sirius narrowed his eyes.

**Harry, Ron, and Hermione didn't speak to each other at all until they came to a halt in the entrance hall, which seemed very cold and gloomy after the grounds. **

"**We've got to go to Dumbledore," said Harry. **

"You… you were actually going to go to a teacher? And Dumbledore no less?" spluttered Sirius. "What happened then?!"

**"Hagrid told that stranger how to get past Fluffy, and it was either Snape or Voldemort under that cloak**— **it must've been easy, once he'd got Hagrid drunk. I just hope Dumbledore believes us. Firenze might back us up if Bane doesn't stop him. Where's Dumbledore's office?" **

The students of Hogwarts exchanged looks. None of them knew where Dumbledore's office was. You were only taken there if something really serious had happened, and it wasn't often students paid a friendly visit to chat with the Headmaster.

**They looked around, as if hoping to see a sign pointing them in the right direction. They had never been told where Dumbledore lived, nor did they know anyone who had been sent to see him. **

Fred and George exchanged glances; not even they knew where Dumbledore's office was. They had always known where to draw the line, never doing anything too serious so as to avoid too much trouble. They had never gone so far as to get in trouble with the Headmaster himself, usually just Filch, McGonagall, and Snape.

"**We'll just have to —" Harry began, but a voice suddenly rang across the hall. **

"**What are you three doing inside?" It was Professor McGonagall, carrying a large pile of books. **

Mrs. Weasley sighed. "Good, you can tell her."

McGonagall fidgeted uncomfortably. This was not going to be good.

"**We want to see Professor Dumbledore," said Hermione, rather bravely, Harry and Ron thought. **

Hermione blushed. "You know Harry, you could stand to say some of these compliments to me out loud."

"**See Professor Dumbledore?" Professor McGonagall repeated, as though this was a very fishy thing to want to do. **

"That's because it was!" she said. "Students, especially first years, don't just ask to see Dumbledore."

**"Why?" **

**Harry swallowed — now what? **"**It's sort of secret," he said, but he wished at once he hadn't, because Professor McGonagall's nostrils flared. **

"Ooohhh… not the right thing to say, Harry." Lee winced. "She hates secrets.

"**Professor Dumbledore left ten minutes ago," she said coldly. "He received an urgent owl from the Ministry of Magic and flew off for London at once." **

"Oh no… with Dumbledore gone…" Mrs. Weasley was on edge.

"**He's **_**gone**_**?" said Harry frantically. "**_**Now?**_**" **

"That really was horrible timing." said Lavender.

"**Professor Dumbledore is a very great wizard, Potter, he has many demands on his time – " **

"**But this is important." **

"**Something you have to say is more important than the Ministry of Magic, Potter?" **

"I'll say!" said Sirius under his breath. "Anything is more important than the Ministry of Magic these days."

"**Look," said Harry, throwing caution to the winds, "Professor — it's about the Philosopher's Stone —" **

"Give me a heart attack, why don't you!" she said.

**Whatever Professor McGonagall had expected, it wasn't that. The books she was carrying tumbled out of her arms, but she didn't pick them up. **

Jaws dropped. The trio had just managed to shock McGonagall, the Professor who supposedly knew everything. Well, I guess it goes to say that nobody knows what to expect when it comes to Harry Potter and his friends.

"**How do you know —?" she spluttered. **

"**Professor, I think — I **_**know **_**— that Sn— that someone's going to try and steal the Stone. I've got to talk to Professor Dumbledore." **

**She eyed him with a mixture of shock and suspicion. **

"**Professor Dumbledore will be back tomorrow," she said finally. "I don't know how you found out about the Stone, but rest assured, no one can possibly steal it, it's too well protected." **

"You… you aren't even going to take precautions?" asked Remus.

"**But Professor —" **

"**Potter, I know what I'm talking about," she said shortly. **

The moment, they all knew was coming. They now understood why the three had gone through the trap door, and everyone, mostly the teachers who had set up their protective charms and enchantments, wanted to know how they were alive.

**She bent down and gathered up the fallen books. "I suggest you all go back outside and enjoy the sunshine." **

**But they didn't. **

"Of course you didn't." said Ginny.

"**It's tonight," said Harry, once he was sure Professor McGonagall was out of earshot. "Snape's going through the trapdoor tonight. He's found out everything he needs, and now he's got Dumbledore out of the way. He sent that note, I bet the Ministry of Magic will get a real shock when Dumbledore turns up." **

"You know we did." muttered Fudge, finally understanding why Dumbledore had arrived so abruptly, only to leave seconds later.

"**But what can we —" Hermione gasped. Harry and Ron wheeled round. **

**Snape was standing there.**"**Good afternoon," he said smoothly. They stared at him. **"**You shouldn't be inside on a day like this," he said, with an odd, twisted smile. **

"**We were —" Harry began, without any idea what he was going to say. **

"It was so blatantly obvious that you three were up to something." sneered Snape.

"Then why didn't you stop them!?" cried Mrs. Weasley.

Snape did not answer.

"**You want to be more careful," said Snape. "Hanging around like this, people will think you're up to something. And Gryffindor really can't afford to lose any more points, can it?" **

The Gryffindors all winced.

**Harry flushed. They turned to go outside, but Snape called them back. **"**Be warned, Potter — any more nighttime wanderings and I will personally make sure you are expelled. Good day to you." **

Snape was grumbling under his breath, no doubt wondering how the boy, when he had broken so many rules, still wasn't expelled.

**He strode off in the direction of the staffroom. **

**Out on the stone steps, Harry turned to the others. **"**Right, here's what we've got to do," he whispered urgently. "One of us has got to keep an eye on Snape — wait outside the staff room and follow him if he leaves it. Hermione, you'd better do that." **

"Of course you dismiss everything the last two teachers told you." said Madam Pomfrey, rubbing her eyes. She remembered that night… how horrible it had been for her… Potter had nearly died.

"**Why me?" **

"**It's obvious," said Ron. "You can pretend to be waiting for Professor Flitwick, you know." He put on a high voice, "'Oh Professor Flitwick, I'm so worried, I think I got question fourteen **_**b **_**wrong… '" **

The whole school started to laugh while Hermione looked down, blushing.

"**Oh, shut up," said Hermione, but she agreed to go and watch out for Snape. **

"**And we'd better stay outside the third-floor corridor," Harry told Ron. "Come on." **

**But that part of the plan didn't work. No sooner had they reached the door separating Fluffy from the rest of the school than Professor McGonagall turned up again and this time, she lost her temper. **

Fred and George winced sympathetically. "We feel for you."

"**I suppose you think you're harder to get past than a pack of enchantments!" she stormed. "Enough of this nonsense! If I hear you've come anywhere near here again, I'll take another fifty points from Gryffindor! Yes, Weasley, from my own house!" **

"She's playing dirty now." mumbled Ron.

**Harry and Ron went back to the common room, Harry had just said, "At least Hermione's on Snape's tail," when the portrait of the Fat Lady swung open and Hermione came in. **

"**I'm sorry, Harry!" she wailed. "Snape came out and asked me what I was doing, so I said I was waiting for Flitwick, and Snape went to get him, and I've only just got away, I don't know where Snape went." **

Flitwick shook his head. All the pieces were coming together. He had wondered where Granger had gone that night… now he knew, and it did not make him feel any better.

"**Well, that's it then, isn't it?" Harry said. The other two stared at him. He was pale and his eyes were glittering. **

Ron and Hermione shuddered.

"What?" asked Sirius. "What does that mean?"

"It means he's going to do something noble and dangerous!" said Hermione through her teeth.

"A look we see much too often for my taste." said Ron.

Sirius turned on Harry who was gazing intently at the monster book in his hands so as to avoid everybody's eyes. "Surely you can't come up with a valid argument for going down that trapdoor!" he cried.

"Oh, he does." said Ron and Hermione together. "And it's very convincing."

"**I'm going out of here tonight and I'm going to try and get to the Stone first." **

"**You're mad!" said Ron. **

Many people nodded in agreement.

"**You can't!" said Hermione. "After what McGonagall and Snape have said? You'll be expelled!" **

"I don't think he cares about that anymore, Hermione…" Ginny said quietly.

"**SO WHAT?" Harry shouted. **

Many people jumped. They had not known that Harry Potter had a temper.

Fred and George grinned, remembering the beginning of the year. He had one strong voice.

"**Don't you understand? If Snape gets hold of the Stone, Voldemort's coming back! Haven't you heard what it was like when he was trying to take over? There won't be any Hogwarts to get expelled from! He'll flatten it, or turn it into a school for the Dark Arts! Losing points doesn't matter anymore, can't you see? D'you think he'll leave you and your families alone if Gryffindor wins the house cup? If I get caught before I can get to the Stone, well, I'll have to go back to the Dursleys and wait for Voldemort to find me there, it's only dying a bit later than I would have, because I'm never going over to the Dark Side! I'm going through that trapdoor tonight and nothing you two say is going to stop me! Voldemort killed my parents, remember?" **

Everyone stared at Harry, who had read through this awfully fast so he could finish it quickly.

Ron and Hermione had been right. That was a very convincing speech.

Mrs. Weasley had tears in her eyes. No eleven year old should be able to think like that, and if they could, then they shouldn't have to think like that.

**He glared at them. **

"**You're right Harry," said Hermione in a small voice. **

"You can be… scary sometimes." said Hermione quietly. Ron nodded.

"**I'll use the invisibility cloak," said Harry. "It's just lucky I got it back." **

"**But will it cover all three of us?" said Ron. **

"**All — all three of us?" **

Now everyone looked at Harry again, in complete and utter disbelief. "You weren't really going to go by yourself, were you?" asked Lupin.

"I couldn't ask anyone to risk their lives for me!" said Harry rather defiantly.

Many shook their heads. This boy was braver than any of them had ever imagined…

The D.A. was looking very proud, with their chests puffed out, as if to say, hey, that's our leader.

"**Oh, come off it, you don't think we'd let you go alone?" **

"**Of course not," said Hermione briskly. "How do you think you'd get to the Stone without us? **

A few people chuckled, but stopped at the look on Harry's face. "Without them… I wouldn't have made it far at all." he said.

Many people blanched; what had happened that night?

**I'd better go and look through my books, there might be something useful…" **

This was just such a Hermione-ish thing to do that people just couldn't help but laugh.

"**But if we get caught, you two will be expelled, too." **

"**Not if I can help it," said Hermione grimly. "Flitwick told me in secret that I got a hundred and twelve percent on his exam. They're not throwing me out after that." **

"A hun- a hundred and twelve?" asked Cho in a squeaky voice.

**After dinner the three of them sat nervously apart in the common room. Nobody bothered them; none of the Gryffindors had anything to say to Harry any more, after all. **

The Gryffindors all shifted their positions guiltily.

**This was the first night he hadn't been upset by it. Hermione was skimming through all her notes, hoping to come across one of the enchantments they were about to try to break. Harry and Ron didn't talk much. Both of them were thinking about what they were about to do. **

"You mean, after thinking about it for a whole afternoon you still had the courage to do it?" asked Dennis Creevy with wide eyes.

**Slowly, the room emptied as people drifted off to bed. **

"**Better get the cloak," Ron muttered, as Lee Jordan finally left, stretching and yawning. **

"Well," scoffed Lee, "Sorry for holding you up."

**Harry ran upstairs to their dark dormitory. He pulled out the cloak and then his eyes fell on the flute Hagrid had given him for Christmas. He pocketed it to use on Fluffy — he didn't feel much like singing. **

"Can you sing, Harry?" asked Hermione, curious.

Harry turned red and didn't answer, and Hermione made a mental note to ask him again later.

**He ran back down to the common room. **"**We'd better put the cloak on here, and make sure it covers all three of us – if Filch spots one of our feet wandering along on its own —" **

"**What are you doing?" said a voice from the corner of the room. Neville appeared from behind an armchair, clutching Trevor the toad, who looked as though he'd been making another bid for freedom. **

Sirius perked up. "Stop them, Neville!"

Harry looked at his godfather. "If he had stopped us Voldemort would have returned three years earlier than he did."

"HE. HAS. NOT. RETURNED." Umbridge said forcefully, glaring at Harry with her little toad eyes.

Harry glared back. "Consider, for a moment, that I'm right. What would that mean to you?"

Fudge paled. _No. No. He's not right. There is nothing to worry about, because You-know-who is not back._

"**Nothing, Neville, nothing," said Harry, hurriedly putting the cloak behind his back. **

Neville cracked up laughing. "You guys can't lie to save your lives!"

**Neville stared at their guilty faces. **"**You're going out again," he said. **

"**No, no, no," said Hermione. "No, we're not. Why don't you go to bed, Neville?" **

Everyone joined Neville in the laughter, if that's not obvious, than what is?

**Harry looked at the grandfather clock by the door. They couldn't afford to waste any more time, Snape might even now be playing Fluffy to sleep. **

"Sorry about that. I didn't know how important this was…"

Harry waved it away. "It's fine, Neville."

"**You can't go out," said Neville, "you'll be caught again. Gryffindor will be in even more trouble." **

"**You don't understand," said Harry, "this is important." **

"You could have explained it to me." said Neville quietly.

**But Neville was clearly steeling himself to do something desperate. **"**I won't let you do it," he said, hurrying to stand in front of the portrait hole. "I'll — I'll fight you!" **

"_**Neville**_**, "Ron exploded, "get away from that hole and don't be an idiot —" **

"Ronald!" cried Mrs. Weasley.

"**Don't you call me an idiot!" said Neville. "I don't think you should be breaking any more rules! And you were the one who told me to stand up to people!" **

"**Yes, but not to **_**us**_**," said Ron in exasperation. "Neville, you don't know what you're doing." **

"Ronald you're the idiot!" said Ginny. "Leave poor Neville alone!"

**He took a step forward and Neville dropped Trevor the toad, who leapt out of sight. **

"That toad is more trouble than it's worth…" said Neville, shaking his head.

"**Go on then, try and hit me!" said Neville, raising his fists. "I'm ready!" **

**Harry turned to Hermione. **"**Do **_**something**_**," he said desperately. **

"When in doubt," chuckled Ron, "Go to Hermione."

**Hermione stepped forward. **"**Neville," she said, "I'm really, really sorry about this." She raised her wand. **"_**Petrificus Totalus!**_**" she cried, pointing it at Neville. **

"Thanks for that." said Neville. "I'm serious!" he said when Hermione started to apologize, "I was so scared you were going to use some awful hex that I'd never heard of before! Being frozen was the least of my worries."

**Neville's arms snapped to his sides. His legs sprang together. His whole body rigid, he swayed where he stood and then fell flat on his face, stiff as a board. Hermione ran to turn him over. Neville's jaws were jammed together so he couldn't speak. Only his eyes were moving, looking at them in horror. **

"**What've you done to him?" Harry whispered. **

"You should have seen your face, Harry!" laughed Neville. "You were more traumatized than I was!"

"**It's the full Body-Bind," said Hermione miserably. "Oh, Neville, I'm so sorry." **

"**We had to, Neville, no time to explain," said Harry. **

"**You'll understand later, Neville," said Ron as they stepped over him and pulled on the invisibility cloak. **

"Yeah, four years later."

**But leaving Neville lying motionless on the floor didn't feel like a very good omen. In their nervous state, every statue's shadow looked like Filch, every distant breath of wind sounded like Peeves swooping down on them. At the foot of the first set of stairs, they spotted Mrs. Norris skulking near the top. **

"**Oh, let's kick her, just this once," Ron whispered in Harry's ear, **

Fred and George perked up. "DO IT!" the cried.

**but Harry shook his head. **

The twins shook their head in disappointment, but Moody nodded in approval.

**As they climbed carefully around her, Mrs. Norris turned her lamplike eyes on them, but didn't do anything. **

**They didn't meet anyone else until they reached the staircase up to the third floor. Peeves was bobbing halfway up, loosening the carpet so that people would trip. **

"Peeves?" asked McGonagall. "I don't understand… why didn't he turn you three in?"

"**Who's there?" he said suddenly as they climbed toward him. He narrowed his wicked black eyes. "Know you're there, even if I can't see you. Are you ghoulie or ghostie or wee student beastie?" **

"How did you manage to get past him?" asked the twins in awe.

**He rose up in the air and floated there, squinting at them. **"**Should call Filch, I should, if something's a-creeping around unseen." **

**Harry had a sudden idea. **

"Oh Lord…" whimpered Sirius, but Ron smiled reassuringly.

"It's a good one this time." he said.

"**Peeves," he said, in a hoarse whisper, "the Bloody Baron has his own reasons for being invisible." **

Fred and George turned wide eyes on Harry before very enthusiastically applauding. "ABSOLUTELY BRILLIANT!"

"Why didn't we think of that, George?"

"I dunno, Fred… I feel inadequate now… unworthy."

Fred nodded in all seriousness. "I know what you mean." he turned to Harry. "Harry, you are a genius, and we respect that."

**Peeves almost fell out of the air in shock. He caught himself in time and hovered about a foot off the stairs. **"**So sorry, your bloodiness, Mr. Baron, Sir," he said greasily. "My mistake, my mistake — I didn't see you — of course I didn't, you're invisible — forgive old Peevsie his little joke, sir." **

The twins just had to clap some more; that was brilliant.

"**I have business here, Peeves," croaked Harry. "Stay away from this place tonight." **

"Harry, will you come pranking with us?" asked George.

Ron nearly inhaled the Bertie Botts Every Flavor Beans he was eating and choked. Fred and George never asked _him_ to go pranking with them!

Harry did not answer, which left the teachers on edge. The last thing they needed was the son of a mastermind pranker sneaking about the school with Fred and George Weasley. The idea certainly terrified them.

"**I will, sir, I most certainly will," said Peeves, rising up in the air again. "Hope your business goes well, Baron, I'll not bother you." And he scooted off. **

"_**Brilliant**_**, Harry!" whispered Ron. **

"Took the words out of my mouth." muttered Lee Jordan in awe.

**A few seconds later, they were there, outside the third-floor corridor — and the door was already ajar. **

"Oh no… oh no…"

"Calm down, Molly."

"I can't, Arthur! There's a monster three headed dog in that room!"

Sirius and Remus sucked in shaky breaths; this was it.

"**Well, there you are," Harry said quietly, "Snape's already got past Fluffy." **

**Seeing the open door somehow seemed to impress upon all three of them what was facing them. Underneath the cloak, Harry turned to the other two. **

Everyone sighed, knowing what was coming.

"**If you want to go back, I won't blame you," he said. "You can take the cloak, I won't need it now." **

Hermione and Ron both slapped Harry upside the head.

"Ow! What was that for!?"

"You know what, Harry James Potter!" snapped Hermione, sounding irritated.

Sirius looked at Ron and Hermione and mouthed a silent 'thank you' to them, thinking of Harry's words 'Without them… I wouldn't have made it far at all'.

Hermione nodded and smiled proudly; they would never leave Harry at a time like that, never. Ron's smile was slightly more forced.

"**Don't be stupid," said Ron. **

"**We're coming," said Hermione. **

Everyone stared at the trio appraisingly. They bond those three shared was very admirable.

**Harry pushed the door open. As the door creaked, low, rumbling growls met their ears. All three of the dog's noses sniffed madly in their direction, even though it couldn't see them. **

Ginny wanted terribly to grab Harry's hand, but he was holding the book, so she couldn't. She bit her lip nervously and settled for just scooting closer to him.

Sirius, his arm around Harry again, began to panic as well.

"**What's that at its feet?" Hermione whispered. **

"**Looks like a harp," said Ron. "Snape must have left it there." **

"You know," said Ron, "Now that I think about it, I honestly can't see Snape playing a harp…"

Harry snorted, "Yeah, what would he play, bagpipes?"

Ron doubled over laughing; the absurd image of Severus Snape in a kilt was utterly ridiculous.

"**It must wake up the moment you stop playing," said Harry. "Well, here goes…" He put Hagrid's flute to his lips and blew. It wasn't really a tune, **

"You're telling us?" asked Ron. "That was the most boring song I ever heard! It was completely monotone!"

"Well excuse me for not being an expert at the flute." Harry huffed.

**but from the first note the beast's eyes began to droop. **

"Yeah, the first and only note." sniggered Ron.

"Why didn't you do it, Ron?" snapped Harry.

That shut Ron up.

**Harry hardly drew breath. Slowly, the dog's growls ceased — it tottered on its paws and fell to its knees, then it slumped to the ground, fast asleep. **

"Okay… okay…" Sirius sounded like he was trying to reassure himself. "One task down. Hagrid's vicious man eating three headed dog, check. Now what's next?"

"**Keep playing," Ron warned Harry as they slipped out of the cloak and crept toward the trapdoor. They could feel the dog's hot, smelly breath as they approached the giant heads. "I think we'll be able to pull the door open," said Ron, peering over the dog's back. "Want to go first, Hermione?" **

Ginny snorted. "Aren't you just the gallant one."

"**No, I don't!" **

"Can't really blame her, only a madman would want to go first." said Mrs. Weasley faintly.

"**All right." Ron gritted his teeth and stepped carefully over the dog's legs. He bent and pulled the ring of the trapdoor, which swung up and open. **

"**What can you see?" Hermione said anxiously. **

"**Nothing — just black — there's no way of climbing down, we'll just have to drop." **

"Well that's a ruddy brilliant idea." said Malfoy sarcastically.

**Harry, who was still playing the flute, waved at Ron to get his attention and pointed at himself. **

Sirius groaned. "Harry!"

"There's your madman, Mum!" said Ron, smirking at Harry.

"Why do you have to go first?" asked Remus through clenched teeth.

"If there was something awful down there, I didn't want them to get hurt or anything- It's my fault they were there in the first place; I dragged them into this mess!"

"First thing," growled Hermione, "We care just as much what happens to you as you do to us, Harry. Second, it is _not _your fault we were there, we were just as much involved in this as you were. And thirdly, Ron and I chose to come along, you did not drag us along!"

"**You want to go first? Are you sure?" **

Professor Sprout paled. The poor boy would be first to land in her Devil's Snare, which means he would be the quickest to be strangled.

**said Ron. "I don't know how deep this thing goes. Give the flute to Hermione so she can keep him asleep." **

**Harry handed the flute over. In the few seconds' silence, the dog growled and twitched, but the moment Hermione began to play, it fell back into its deep sleep. **

**Harry climbed over it and looked down through the trapdoor. There was no sign of the bottom. **

"Yeah, no sign of the bottom, so why don't we just jump!" said George, attempting a joke, but his face was so pale and his tone so worried that it just made everyone even more nervous.

"What's down there?" asked Molly Weasley frantically. She noticed the pale faces of the teachers and her heart turned to ice. "What is down there!?" she yelled.

Nobody answered.

**He lowered himself through the hole until he was hanging on by his fingertips. Then he looked up at Ron and said, "If anything happens to me, don't follow. Go straight to the owlery and send Hedwig to Dumbledore, right?" **

"**Right," said Ron. **

"**See you in a minute, I hope…" **

"Oh, don't say that kind of thing, Harry…" said Ginny.

**And Harry let go. Cold, damp air rushed past him as he fell down, down, down and — FLUMP. With a funny, muffled sort of thump he landed on something soft. He sat up and felt around, his eyes not used to the gloom. It felt as though he was sitting on some sort of plant. **

Sprout put her hands over her mouth and she looked as if she was about to cry. McGonagall patted her clumsily on the shoulder, which wasn't very reassuring because she was shaking like mad. "Oh dear…" she muttered.

Sirius was staring intently at Harry, as if he were reassuring himself that he was indeed sitting next to him, well and alive.

Remus however, noticed the odd behavior of the teachers and his chest felt oddly tight. What had Harry landed on at the bottom.

"**It's okay!" he called up to the light the size of a postage stamp, which was the open trapdoor, "it's a soft landing, you can jump!" **

Sprout shook her head frantically with her hands still clamped over her mouth to stop her from crying out.

**Ron followed right away. He landed, sprawled next to Harry. **

"**What's this stuff?" were his first words. **

Professor Sprout let out a strangled cry between her fingers. Everyone looked at her, growing increasingly worried by the second. She had not imagined that first year students would fall into her trap… Devil's Snare was deadly…

"**Dunno, some sort of plant thing. I suppose it's here to break the fall. Come on, Hermione!" **

"It wouldn't be there to break the fall if it's there to prevent anyone from getting through!" cried Remus.

**The distant music stopped. There was a loud bark from the dog, but Hermione had already jumped. She landed on Harry's other side.**

"**We must be miles under the school," she said. **

Now everybody was uneasy from the look of pure terror on Professor Sprout's face.

"**Lucky this plant thing's here, really," said Ron. **

"Lucky…" Sprout said faintly through her fingers.

"_**Lucky**_**!" shrieked Hermione. "Look at you both!" **

Sirius tightened his grip around Harry.

**She leapt up and struggled toward a damp wall. She had to struggle because the moment she had landed, the plant had started to twist snakelike tendrils around her ankles. As for Harry and Ron, their legs had already been bound tightly in long creepers without their noticing. **

Neville paled considerably. "THAT'S DEVIL'S SNARE!"

"Merlin's pants!" yelled Sirius in horror.

**Hermione had managed to free herself before the plant got a firm grip on her. Now she watched in horror as the two boys fought to pull the plant off them, but the more they strained against it, the tighter and faster the plant wound around them. **

"Light a fire, light a fire, light a fire, light a fire…" Neville kept repeating under his breath.

"**Stop moving!" Hermione ordered them. "I know what this is — it's Devil's Snare!" **

Sprout nodded enthusiastically; Granger was smart… she would get them out of this… she better do it soon though, Harry had already been down there longer than the others, so he was in the most danger at the moment.

"**Oh, I'm so glad we know what it's called, that's a great help," snarled Ron, leaning back, trying to stop the plant from curling around his neck. **

**"Shut up, I'm trying to remember how to kill it!" said Hermione. **

"C'mon Hermione!" muttered Sprout.

"**Well, hurry up, I can't breathe!" Harry gasped, wrestling with it as it curled around his chest. **

Sirius let out a noise somewhere in between a shout and a groan. Lupin looked at Harry, as if afraid he would disappear before his very eyes.

"**Devil's Snare, Devil's Snare… what did Professor Sprout say? — it likes the dark and the damp." **

"**So light a fire!" Harry choked. **

"C'MON HERMIONE!" shouted Sirius. "HARRY IS BEING STRANGLED!"

"**Yes — of course — but there's no wood!" Hermione cried, wringing her hands. **

Sirius face palmed and Professor Sprout let out the sob she had been so desperately been trying to hold back.

"There's. No. Wood." Remus said slowly, bewildered and horrified.

Hermione blushed and looked down in embarrassment. They're right… how could she let herself panic like that? Ron and Harry needed her!

"**HAVE YOU GONE MAD?" Ron bellowed. "ARE YOU A WITCH OR NOT?" **

"**Oh, right!" said Hermione, and she whipped out her wand, waved it, muttered something, and sent a jet of the same bluebell flames she had used on Snape at the plant. **

**In a matter of seconds, the two boys felt it loosening its grip as it cringed away from the light and warmth. Wriggling and flailing, it unraveled itself from their bodies, and they were able to pull free. **

Now that the horrifying situation was over, everyone turned to Hermione. "There's no wood?" said Fred, cracking a grin.

"You shut up!" she snapped.

"**Lucky you pay attention in Herbology, Hermione," said Harry as he joined her by the wall, wiping sweat off his face. **

"**Yeah," said Ron, "and lucky Harry doesn't lose his head in a crisis — 'there's no wood,' **_**honestly**_**." **

"Really, where would you be without Harry?" asked Remus, still very pale.

Ron and Hermione exchanged horrible frightened looks. They did not even want to think about it. They had nearly lost Harry more times than they could count. They did not want to think about what would happen if he died. They did not want to consider the possibility. Not Harry. Not Harry, who is so brave and strong. Losing him would tear their very souls apart.

Harry offered them a small smile reassuringly, though their faces did not gain any color. If they lost Harry… where would they be? Harry was their leader, their tower of strength.

"**This way," said Harry, pointing down a stone passageway, which was the only way forward. **

Sirius took a deep breath, trying to calm himself. "Okay. Two tasks down. Hagrid's three headed dog and man strangling Devil's Snare, check. What's next?"

**All they could hear apart from their footsteps was the gentle drip of water trickling down the walls. The passageway sloped downward, and Harry was reminded of Gringotts. With an unpleasant jolt of the heart, he remembered the dragons said to be guarding vaults in the wizards' bank. If they met a dragon, a fully-grown dragon — Norbert had been bad enough… **

"**Can you hear something?" Ron whispered. Harry listened. A soft rustling and clinking seemed to be coming from up ahead. **"**Do you think it's a ghost?" **

"**I don't know… sounds like wings to me." **

"Sounds- sounds like… wings?" Malfoy spluttered.

"A true Seeker." smiled Angelina. She through a glare at Umbridge. It was because of her that she no longer had such a brilliant Seeker.

"**There's light ahead — I can see something moving." **

"My task…" Flitwick muttered. He was not so worried for this one. Harry was, after all, a superb Seeker, so he had no doubt in his mind whatsoever. And it did help that this task was the only one that was not life threatening… well, unless you fell off the broom.

**They reached the end of the passageway and saw before them a brilliantly lit chamber, its ceiling arching high above them. It was full of small, jewel-bright birds, fluttering and tumbling all around the room. **

"Well that sounds nice." said Luna serenely.

**On the opposite side of the chamber was a heavy wooden door. **

"**Do you think they'll attack us if we cross the room?" said Ron. **

"**Probably," said Harry. "They don't look very vicious, but I suppose if they all swooped down at once… well, there's no other choice… I'll run." **

"Of course you will." said Sirius. "You wouldn't be you if you didn't would you."

Harry grinned halfheartedly.

**He took a deep breath, covered his face with his arms, and sprinted across the room. He expected to feel sharp beaks and claws tearing at him any second, but nothing happened. He reached the door untouched. He pulled the handle, but it was locked. The other two followed him. They tugged and heaved at the door, but it wouldn't budge, not even when Hermione tried her Alohomora charm. **

"**Now what?" said Ron. **

"**These birds… they can't be here just for decoration," said Hermione. **

**They watched the birds soaring overhead, glittering —**_**glittering**_**? **

"Birds… don't glitter…" said Malfoy.

"Brilliant deduction, Malfoy!" cried Fred, clapping.

"Really, really, brilliant." added George.

Malfoy flushed.

"**They're not birds!" Harry said suddenly. "They're **_**keys**_**! Winged keys — look carefully. So that must mean…" he looked around the chamber while the other two squinted up at the flock of keys. "… yes — look! Broomsticks! We've got to catch the key to the door!" **

"**But there are **_**hundreds **_**of them!" **

"Hundreds?" asked Cho, jaw dropped.

"Have faith. Harry is the youngest Seeker in a century." grinned Ginny.

**Ron examined the lock on the door. **"**We're looking for a big, old-fashioned one — probably silver, like the handle." **

"Nice job, Weasley." Moody growled. Tonks was basically radiating jealousy.

**They each seized a broomstick and kicked off into the air, soaring into the midst of the cloud of keys. They grabbed and snatched, but the bewitched keys darted and dived so quickly it was almost impossible to catch one. **

**Not for nothing, though, was Harry the youngest Seeker in a century. **

All of Gryffindor started cheering and whooping. Harry blushed.

**He had a knack for spotting things other people didn't. **

"You got that right!" said Ron and Hermione, thinking of all the detail this book had shown, and how they hadn't noticed half the things Harry had.

**After a minute's weaving about through the whirl of rainbow feathers, he noticed a large silver key that had a bent wing, as if it had already been caught and stuffed roughly into the keyhole. **

"**That one!" he called to the others. "That big one — there — no, there — with bright blue wings — the feathers are all crumpled on one side." **

Flitwick nodded with a smile, proud of his student.

**Ron went speeding in the direction that Harry was pointing, crashed into the ceiling, and nearly fell off his broom. **

Fred and George covered their mouths to keep themselves from laughing.

"**We've got to close in on it!" Harry called, not taking his eyes off the key with the damaged wing. "Ron, you come at it from above — Hermione, stay below and stop it from going down and I'll try and catch it. Right, NOW!" **

"Well, we know who the leader of the Golden Trio is, don't we?" asked Neville smiling.

Seamus rolled his eyes. "You're a bit behind the times Neville. Everybody already knows that."

"I was just pointing it out…" he mumbled.

**Ron dived, Hermione rocketed upward, the key dodged them both, and Harry streaked after it; it sped toward the wall, Harry leaned forward and with a nasty, crunching noise, pinned it against the stone with one hand. **

Gryffindor cheered again, and this time they were accompanied by some Hufflepuffs and Ravenclaws.

**Ron and Hermione's cheers echoed around the high chamber. **

Harry smiled at his two best friends, and they seemed to glow with happiness.

**They landed quickly, and Harry ran to the door, the key struggling in his hand. He rammed it into the lock and turned – it worked. The moment the lock had clicked open, the key took flight again, looking very battered now that it had been caught twice. **

"**Ready?" Harry asked the other two, his hand on the door handle. They nodded. He pulled the door open. **

"Three down." said Sirius. "Hagrid's, Sprout's, and Flitwick's. Now what?"

Now it was McGonagall's turn to look worried. She knew for a fact that Ron had gotten injured during this one, and she wasn't too excited to hear about it in the very detailed words of Harry Potter.

**The next chamber was so dark they couldn't see anything at all. But as they stepped into it, light suddenly flooded the room to reveal an astonishing sight. **

**They were standing on the edge of a huge chessboard, behind the black chessmen, which were all taller than they were and carved from what looked like black stone. Facing them, way across the chamber, were the white pieces. Harry, Ron and Hermione shivered slightly – the towering white chessmen had no faces. **

"A… a chess board?" asked Remus.

"A wizard's chess board." Harry corrected.

Remus sagged with the weight of new worry.

"**Now what do we do?" Harry whispered. **

"**It's obvious, isn't it?" said Ron. "We've got to play our way across the room." Behind the white pieces they could see another door. **

"**How?" said Hermione nervously. **

"**I think," said Ron, "we're going to have to be chessmen." **

"Wait…" said Remus, frowning. "Wizards chess, correct? And you three have to be chessmen?"

Ron nodded, looking rather nervous.

**He walked up to a black knight and put his hand out to touch the knight's horse. At once, the stone sprang to life. The horse pawed the ground and the knight turned his helmeted head to look down at Ron. **

"**Do we — er — have to join you to get across?" The black knight nodded. Ron turned to the other two. **"**This needs thinking about…" he said. "I suppose we've got to take the place of three of the black pieces…" **

"Wizards chess is extremely violent!" cried Molly. "That is not a good idea!"

**Harry and Hermione stayed quiet, watching Ron think. Finally he said, "Now, don't be offended or anything, but neither of you are that good at chess —" **

"**We're not offended," said Harry quickly. "Just tell us what to do." **

"It's a good thing Ron is with you," said Charlie. "He's brilliant at chess."

Dean suddenly perked up. "Is that what Dumbledore meant at the end of the year feast?" he asked. "He said something about the best game of chess… and none of us knew what he was talking about."

"**Well, Harry, you take the place of that bishop, and Hermione, you go there instead of that castle." **

"**What about you?" **

"**I'm going to be a knight," said Ron. **

"Your favorite piece…" said Arthur Weasley.

**The chessmen seemed to have been listening, because at these words a knight, a bishop, and a castle turned their backs on the white pieces and walked off the board, leaving three empty squares that Harry, Ron, and Hermione took. **

"**White always plays first in chess," said Ron, peering across the board. "Yes… look…" **

**A white pawn had moved forward two squares. **

The Great Hall was extremely tense. They had gotten this far with nothing too bad happening… how long would that last when you're with Harry Potter, the unluckiest boy in the world?

**Ron started to direct the black pieces. They moved silently wherever he sent them. Harry's knees were trembling. What if they lost? **

Hermione shuddered; "Man am I glad I don't think like you do, Harry."

"**Harry — move diagonally four squares to the right." **

**Their first real shock came when their other knight was taken. The white queen smashed him to the floor and dragged him off the board, where he lay quite still, facedown. **

"Oh my…" said Padma Patil.

"**Had to let that happen," said Ron, looking shaken. "Leaves you free to take that bishop, Hermione, go on." **

**Every time one of their men was lost, the white pieces showed no mercy. Soon there was a huddle of limp black players slumped along the wall. Twice, Ron only just noticed in time that Harry and Hermione were in danger. **

Ginny whimpered, looking quite sick.

**He himself darted around the board, taking almost as many white pieces as they had lost black ones. **

McGonagall could not suppress the impressed yet slightly jealous feeling that had risen within her. She had bewitched those chess pieces; so in a way, Ron was playing against her. She knew that he beat her, and she felt a bit embarrassed by that. Nobody had ever beat her before… then a first year red head came along…

"**We're nearly there," he muttered suddenly. "Let me think — let me think…" The white queen turned her blank face toward him.**"**Yes…" said Ron softly, "It's the only way… I've got to be taken." **

"WHAT?! NO!" cried Mrs. Weasley.

The rest of the Hall looked frightened as well.

"**NO!" Harry and Hermione shouted. **

"**That's chess!" snapped Ron. "You've got to make some sacrifices! I make my move and she'll take me — that leaves you free to checkmate the king, Harry!" **

"That's right." said McGonagall in a shaking voice. "Sacrifices must be made."

Molly was starting to sob into her husband's shoulder.

"**But —" **

"**Do you want to stop Snape or not?" **

"**Ron —" **

"**Look, if you don't hurry up, he'll already have the Stone!" **

**There was no alternative. **

Everyone stared at Ron in awe. If they had been in that position, would they have had the courage to sacrifice themselves?

"**Ready?" Ron called, his face pale but determined. "Here I go — now, don't hang around once you've won." **

Moody was impressed with Ron as well; maybe not as much as Harry, but he was impressed none the less. That Granger on the other hand… he still wasn't sure about her. She was brilliant, sure, but so far, she hadn't been able to keep a cool head when under pressure, which is probably the most important thing to be an Auror.

That was probably why he was so impressed with Potter, because he could keep his head when in dangerous situations.

**He stepped forward, and the white queen pounced. She struck Ron hard across the head with her stone arm, and he crashed to the floor — **

A few girls screamed-

**Hermione screamed but stayed on her square — the white queen dragged Ron to one side. He looked as if he'd been knocked out. **

Sirius and Remus were looking worried for Ron as well.

"WHAT WERE YOU THINKING RONALD?!" cried Mrs. Weasley.

Ron did like attention, don't get him wrong, but he didn't really like this kind of attention. He had just been knocked unconscious, leaving Harry and Hermione to fend the rest of the way themselves, and he wasn't feeling like much of a hero.

"Don't be worried about me, Mum!" said Ron, glancing at Harry who narrowed his eyes. "I'm only unconscious; you should be worried about Harry."

Harry, catching what Ron was doing, sent him a glare and tried to start reading again, but Ron cut him off. "I mean, he's the one who almost dies."

In the complete silence of the Hall, everyone took their eyes off Ron and looked worriedly at Harry instead. He sent a death glare at Ron. "Thanks, mate." he said hotly, feeling his face go slightly red from everybody staring at him.

"What do you mean?" asked Molly, successfully distracted.

"Er… it's nothing, Mrs. Weasley." said Harry, sending another glare at Ron.

"Nothing?" asked Sirius. "Hmm, now where have I heard that before?" he said sarcastically. "Almost dying isn't nothing, Harry!"

"Ron's the one who just got knocked-

Remus interrupted, making Harry even angrier at Ron, who seemed to be holding back a smile, finding the whole situation highly comical. "How bad was it?" he asked.

Harry shook his head, looking slightly nervous. "It wasn't-

"Harry." said Sirius warningly.

Hermione sent an exasperated look at Ron who was chuckling silently. "You are such a git, Ronald!" she whispered to him.

"I know." he said, grinning, watching a completely flustered Harry. Hermione rolled her eyes.

"How bad was it?" Remus asked again.

"It wasn't!" repeated Harry.

Remus turned instead to Madam Pomfrey, "How bad was it, Madam Pomfrey?" he asked.

She paled and looked rather scared at the memory. "I wasn't sure if he would make it." she said quietly.

Ron's smile vanished and he looked at Hermione, horrified. He turned back to Madam Pomfrey, "Y- you- you said-" he stuttered, "You said he would be fine!"

She looked at Ron and Hermione sadly. "I didn't want to worry you." she said, her voice sounding thick. "If he had come to me only minutes later… there would have been nothing I could have done."

"But-but-" Ron spluttered, "But… but…"

"But Madam Pomfrey!" cried Hermione. "You told us-

"I know what I told you!" she said. "I just couldn't bear to tell you otherwise, not when you'd both suffered a traumatizing experience."

Ron and Hermione rounded on Harry. "Did you know?" they asked.

Harry winced, "Yeah… I knew…"

They both wacked him upside the head again.

Remus and Sirius looked at Harry, expressions frantic. "WHAT HAPPENED?!" they asked.

"Er…"

"JUST KEEP READING!"

**Shaking, Harry moved three spaces to the left. **

**The white king took off his crown and threw it at Harry's feet. They had won. The chessmen parted and bowed, leaving the door ahead clear. With one last desperate look back at Ron, Harry and Hermione charged through the door and up the next passageway. **

"**What if he's —?" **

"**He'll be all right," said Harry, trying to convince himself. "What do you reckon's next?" **

Everyone in the Hall tensed; waiting for the moment Harry almost dies.

"**We've had Sprout's, that was the Devil's Snare; Flitwick must've put charms on the keys; McGonagall transfigured the chessmen to make them alive; that leaves Quirrell's spell, and Snape's." **

**They had reached another door. **"**All right?" Harry whispered. **

"**Go on." **

**Harry pushed it open. **

**A disgusting smell filled their nostrils, making both of them pull their robes up over their noses. Eyes watering, they saw, flat on the floor in front of them, a troll even larger than the one they had tackled, out cold with a bloody lump on its head. **

"It's a good thing it was already knocked out," said Harry, "I don't know if a hovering charm would work a second time."

Ron and Hermione just stared at him; why had he almost died? What had he not told them? Why did Harry always end up alone for the confrontation with Voldemort? Why was he the one that always had to suffer?

"**I'm glad we didn't have to fight that one," Harry whispered as they stepped carefully over one of its massive legs. "Come on, I can't breathe." **

**He pulled open the next door, both of them hardly daring to look at what came next - but there was nothing very frightening in here, just a table with seven differently shaped bottles standing on it in a line. **

Snape leaned forward. He was curious as to how they had made it past his task.

"**Snape's," said Harry. "What do we have to do?" **

**They stepped over the threshold, and immediately a fire sprang up behind them in the doorway. It wasn't ordinary fire either; it was purple. At the same instant, black flames shot up in the doorway leading onward. They were trapped. **

"**Look!" Hermione seized a roll of paper lying next to the bottles. Harry looked over her shoulder to read it: **

_**Danger lies before you, while safety lies behind, **_

"They got that right, didn't they?" muttered Harry.

Those close enough to hear him exchanged nervous looks.

_**Two of us will help you, which ever you would find, **_

_**One among us seven will let you move ahead, **_

_**Another will transport the drinker back instead, **_

_**Two among our number hold only nettle wine, **_

_**Three of us are killers, waiting bidden in line. **_

_**Choose, unless you wish to stay here forevermore, **_

_**To help you in your choice, we give you these clues four: **_

_**First, however slyly the poison tries to hide **_

_**You will always find some on nettle wine's left side; **_

_**Second, different are those who stand at either end, **_

_**But if you would move onward, neither is your friend; **_

_**Third, as you see clearly, all are different size, **_

_**Neither dwarf nor giant holds death in their insides; **_

_**Fourth, the second left and the second on the right **_

_**Are twins once you taste them, though different at first sight. **_

"They're doomed…" said Seamus.

"Now, now," said Dean, "You forgot who Harry's got with him."

**Hermione let out a great sigh and Harry, amazed, saw that she was smiling, the very last thing he felt like doing. **

A few people laughed.

"_**Brilliant**_**," said Hermione. "This isn't magic — it's logic — a puzzle. A lot of the greatest wizards haven't got an ounce of logic, they'd be stuck in here forever." **

Snape looked put out; she didn't even seem fazed.

"**But so will we, won't we?" **

"Pfft, nah," said Fred.

"You've got Hermione with you!" said George.

"**Of course not," said Hermione. "Everything we need is here on this paper. Seven bottles: three are poison; two are wine; one will get us safely through the black fire, and one will get us back through the purple." **

"**But how do we know which to drink?" **

"**Give me a minute." **

"How long did it take?" asked Arthur Weasley.

Harry grinned, "Five minutes, tops."

He whistled appreciatively.

**Hermione read the paper several times. Then she walked up and down the line of bottles, muttering to herself and pointing at them. At last, she clapped her hands. **

"**Got it," she said. "The smallest bottle will get us through the black fire — toward the Stone." **

**Harry looked at the tiny bottle. **"**There's only enough there for one of us," he said. "That's hardly one swallow." They looked at each other. **

"Harry!" cried Sirius, clutching his godson to his side. "You're going alone!?"

"**Which one will get you back through the purple flames?" **

**Hermione pointed at a rounded bottle at the right end of the line. **

"**You drink that," said Harry. "No, listen, **

"How about _you _listen for a change, Harry Potter!" grumbled Hermione. "I think there should be a time, once in your life, where you're not alone for the most dangerous part!"

**get back and get Ron. Grab brooms from the flying-key room, they'll get you out of the trapdoor and past Fluffy — go straight to the owlery and send Hedwig to Dumbledore, we need him. I might be able to hold Snape off for a while, but I'm no match for him, really." **

"At least he's not overconfident." growled Moody.

"**But Harry — what if You-Know-Who's with him?" **

Harry stiffened. Voldemort was, indeed, there.

The change in Harry's posture was almost imperceptible unless you knew him extremely well. Ron and Hermione were the only ones who noticed, and they felt as if their insides had frozen. What was Harry hiding? What had Voldemort done to him last year in the graveyard? What had really happened?

"**Well — I was lucky once, wasn't I?" said Harry, pointing at his scar. "I might get lucky again." **

"You were counting on luck…" whispered Mrs. Weasley.

Everyone in the room knew that Harry had rotten luck.

"Yeah, well 'lucky once' is the problem, isn't it?" asked Sirius through clenched teeth. "Once in your life, you've been lucky. I don't think I'd trust luck enough considering your past experience with it."

**Hermione's lip trembled, **

"I was so scared for you…"

**and she suddenly dashed at Harry and threw her arms around him. **

"_**Hermione!" **_

"**Harry — you're a great wizard, you know." **

"**I'm not as good as you," said Harry, very embarrassed, as she let go of him. **

"**Me!" said Hermione. "Books! And cleverness! There are more important things — friendship and bravery and — oh Harry —**_**be careful! **_**"**

"Not. A. Word." said Hermione, glaring at the twins.

"**You drink first," said Harry. "You are sure which is which, aren't you?" **

"**Positive," said Hermione. She took a long drink from the round bottle at the end, and shuddered. **

"**It's not poison?" said Harry anxiously. **

"**No — but it's like ice." **

Snape sighed; it was the right one then. He supposed he was glad she wasn't poisoned, but I mean… come on, that was meant to be a top notch defense, and a first year female figured it out in five minutes…

"**Quick, go, before it wears off." **

"**Good luck — take care." **

"**GO!" **

Moody nodded. "Don't dally. Get Ron out of there and send for Dumbledore."

**Hermione turned and walked straight through the purple fire. **

**Harry took a deep breath and picked up the smallest bottle. He turned to face the black flames. **"**Here I come," he said, and he drained the little bottle in one gulp. **

**It was indeed as though ice was flooding his body. He put the bottle down and walked forward; he braced himself, saw the black flames licking his body, but couldn't feel them — for a moment he could see nothing but dark fire**— **then he was on the other side, in the last chamber. **

**There was already someone there — but it wasn't Snape. It wasn't even Voldemort. **

Harry closed the book with a sigh, extremely glad he had finished his chapter.

"But… I thought You-know-who was there?" asked Pavarti, confused.

"He's not!" said Umbridge. "Because he is dead!"

"Shut up!" Sirius muttered under his breath.

"He's there…" said Harry. "He was always there."

"What is that suppose to-

"Harry," Sirius interrupted Pavarti, "What's that on your hand?"

Harry felt his throat close up. "Nothing." he said, putting his hand out of sight.

"Harry, let me see it." Sirius demanded, voice shaking slightly.

Harry gave him his hand.

"Your other hand." he growled. When Harry didn't move, Sirius grabbed Harry's other arm and pulled it to him. He examined the words on the back of Harry's hand that were all too visible.

I must not tell lies.

A/N: Woo! Hope you like it! Please review!


	16. Blood Quill

"Harry." said Sirius, trying to keep his tone calm, but he was failing miserably. "What. Is. That?"

Harry pulled his hand away and looked down. "Nothing." he lied, his face red.

Sirius stood up, seemingly calm, but Remus wasn't fooled for a second. "Sirius…" He stood up too and put a hand on his friend's shoulder. "Sirius, now don't do anything rash-

"Get _off_ Remus!" Sirius knocked the hand away and walked calmly addressed the teachers. "Who can tell me," he took a deep breath to keep himself from shouting. "Why my godson has been subjected to the blood quill?"

The staff looked generally shocked. "The teachers of Hogwarts would do no such thing, Sirius." said Dumbledore quietly. "It is illegal to use one on any child underage. None of my staff would do such a thing."

"WHO DID THIS TO MY GODSON!" Sirius yelled.

Madam Pomfrey stood up. "The Headmaster is right, Black, teachers would not do that to a student. You must be mistaken."

"COME AND LOOK THEN!" he shouted. "COME AND SEE!" Sirius grabbed Harry and pulled him off the floor; Harry cried out, though more from shock than pain.

"Sirius!" cried Remus. "Be careful!"

Sirius loosened his grip on Harry, but he did not let go. He pulled him to the front of the Hall, Harry's face burning, and held Harry's hand up for Madam Pomfrey to see.

She gasped and covered her mouth in shock. She ran a finger over the still tender words and Harry flinched at the touch. "No…" she choked out. "No, they wouldn't…"

McGonagall was on her feet in a second, and came to examine Harry's hand. She gritted her teeth. "Harry," she said softly, "You should have told someone… who did this?"

Harry winced as she ran her hand over the words just as Madam Pomfrey had, and they all noticed.

"WHO DID THIS TO HIM?" Sirius shouted. "Harry, please, tell me, who did this?"

Harry, his throat too tight to talk, settled by raising his eyebrows at McGonagall.

"Oh." she said coldly. "I see… Has she done this in all your detentions, Potter?"

Harry nodded. "B-but Professor," Harry stammered, he lowered his voice to a whisper so only she would hear. "If anyone finds out it was Umbridge, she'll tell that you turned her into a toad."

McGonagall offered him a small smile. "Potter, transfiguring someone into a toad is not nearly enough to send me to Azkaban."

"Umbridge is an evil old hag! She'll be able to do something-

"Potter." she said firmly. "Umbridge's felony is a hundred times worse than mine. I doubt they'll even care that I turned her into a toad when she has been using a blood quill on a fifteen year old in detentions; not to mention the detentions were for saying the You-know-who returned, and it is about to be proved that he is not dead in the next chapter."

Harry hesitated, and then nodded.

As McGonagall turned away from Harry, her face transformed into one of fury. She looked at Umbridge, and started to say, "Dolores-

But Sirius exploded. "UMBRIDGE!? _UMBRIDGE?_" He looked at Harry, "SHE DID THAT TO YOU?!" but without waiting for an answer, he rounded on the Ministry workers.

Remus, recognizing trouble, was there in an instant. He grabbed Sirius' arm which was reaching for his wand and stopped him. "Sirius…" he said through his teeth, "I am just as angry as you, but violence is not the answer. You'll be thrown back in Azkaban if you attack a Ministry worker. Yell all you want, but-

At the 'yell all you want' Sirius let lose. "YOU FOUL BITCH! HOW DARE YOU? HOW DARE YOU USE THAT ON MY GODSON! -" Lupin was still wrestling him, as he was obviously trying to curse Umbridge. "HE TOLD ME YOU WERE GIVING HIM DETENTIONS BUT… BUT…" Sirius tore away from Remus and pulled his wand out.

Harry hurried over to Sirius and put a both hands on his shoulders. "Sirius… Sirius stop… please…" his voice was so pleading, Sirius couldn't help but tear his eyes away from Umbridge. "Sirius please! Don't get yourself back in Azkaban! I-I couldn't stand it if you left!"

Hermione covered her mouth as tears touched her eyes. "Oh… Harry…"

"Sirius, you're all I've got left!" Harry's words rang throughout the now silent Hall.

Sirius instantly stopped struggling.

Harry took a fist and lightly hit Sirius on the shoulder as he looked down at the floor. "Please…"

Sirius slowly relaxed and lowered his wand from a very flustered looking Umbridge.

Lupin never looked so grateful to see Harry there. "Just keep him under control." he whispered to Harry before turning on Umbridge himself. "You." he growled, and her eyes widened. "You used a blood quill on Harry."

"You dare accuse me of such a thing? I happen to be Senior Undersecretary to the Min-

"I DON'T CARE!" shouted Remus, and everyone looked shocked. Their favorite D. A. D. A. teacher so far, one of the leading voices in the Order of the Phoenix, the one who was always so calm and reserved, was shouting. "Do you think you can get away with something of this scale just because of the place you hold in the Ministry?"

"Answer the question!" snapped Sirius, having to repeat in his head firmly not to do anything stupid… for Harry. "DID YOU USE THE BLOOD QUILL ON MY GODSON?"

"I- I- well I… absolutely not… outrageous… how you could suggest such a thing…" she muttered, though she was looking very nervous.

"Severus," said McGonagall who was looking nearly as angry as Sirius, "Veritaserum, please."

"What?" asked Umbridge, panicking, "No- No, no, I refuse… you have no right-

"Dolores," snapped Madam Bones, "If you have nothing to hide, than you have nothing to worry about!"

"Well- well, I suppose I-

Snape stood up, fury in his eyes, and pulled out a small bottle of Veritaserum. All eyes on Umbridge, they waited as she took a sip.

"Now, answer the question." said Remus. "Did you use the Blood Quill on an underage student?"

"No."

Severus examined the bottle. "You did not drink any, Dolores."

"No, I assure you, I did-

"DOLORES!" yelled McGonagall. "DRINK IT!"

Very grudgingly, and with a hating glare at the Potter boy, she took a sip.

"Now." said Madam Bones, very irritated with her colleague. "Answer the question."

"Yes. I- I- I did."

"Deep breaths, Sirius." Remus warned.

"You are fired." said Madam Bones. "You are no longer Senior Undersecretary to the Minister, nor are you part of the Ministry. You will be fined, and removed of your teaching privileges."

"But- but…" she pointed suddenly at McGonagall, "She transfigured me into-

"Don't go pointing fingers! You are on probation!" snapped Madam Bones.

Dolores' eyes were popping.

"Now, how many times has Potter been forced to use the quill, for how long, and why?"

Umbridge tried desperately to keep her mouth shut, but the Veritaserum was doing its job. "Potter has been in detention with me every day for the past month."

McGonagall closed her eyes in horror. She knew she'd been giving Potter countless detentions but this… this was awful…

"Every day he stays in my office for about five hours."

Sirius groaned and clutched Harry to his side. Remus looked to be as if he were in pain.

"I gave him detentions because he was spreading his lies of You-know-who being back… and because I don't particularly like him."

"Five hours… every night…" Sirius whimpered.

"That's… that's torture…" said Madam Bones softly.

Harry stiffened; no, it didn't even come close to torture… he knew what torture really was…

Sirius felt Harry go rigid beside him, and he looked at him worriedly. "Come sit down, Harry." he croaked.

They settled down again, though the temperature in the room seemed to have dropped multiple degrees, and the tension had been multiplied many times.

This was it.

This is where they saw whether You-know-who really was dead.

Everyone in the room kept glancing at Harry, whose face was burning, as he leaned into his godfather's side. He looked rather ill, though not of sickness, but of dread.

He was not looking forward to this. He did not want to hear this chapter. He did not want to live through it again.

McGonagall summoned the book to her from the ground next to Harry, and handed it to Fudge. "I think you should read this chapter, Minister."

He cleared his throat, looking nervous and betrayed (as his closest protégé at the Ministry was just fired). He, though not as much as Harry, was also dreading this chapter. If he was wrong about You-know-who… if he really _wasn't_ gone…

**'The Man With Two Faces,'**


	17. The Man with Two Faces

A/N: here's a surprise for all you Ginny/Harry lovers. Enjoy!

Sirius, noticing Harry's discomfort, looked up at the teachers. "He doesn't have to listen to this, does he?"

Umbridge gritted her teeth; wanting to shout 'of course he does!' but she held her tongue. She would get Harry back for this. He just lost her her job, her reputation, and respect. She would get him back for this, mark her words.

Fudge nodded. "Yes, he must stay."

"But why-

"Silence, Black." said Fudge, before reading.

**It was Quirrell. **

"_**You!" **_**gasped Harry. **

**Quirrell smiled. His face wasn't twitching at all. **

"You mean… all year… he faked it?" asked Malfoy in disgust. "That was bloody annoying, that was!"

"**Me," he said calmly. "I wondered whether I'd be meeting you here, Potter." **

"**But I thought — Snape —" **

"**Severus?" Quirrell laughed, and it wasn't his usual quivering treble, either, but cold and sharp. **

Harry clenched his fists. He had been such a fool… such an idiot…

"**Yes, Severus does seem the type, doesn't he? **

A few students murmured their agreement, and Snape looked rather annoyed.

**So useful to have him swooping around like an overgrown bat. **

Now a few were sniggering, "Accurate description," muttered George.

**Next to him, who would suspect p-p-poor, st-stuttering P-Professor Quirrell?" **

"That… was actually very clever." said McGonagall, shaking her head. "Not one of us did suspect him."

**Harry couldn't take it in. This couldn't be true, it couldn't. **"**But Snape tried to kill me!" **

"**No, no, no. **_**I **_**tried to kill you. **

Sirius growled under his breath. He wanted to murder this man.

"He's already dead, Sirius." said Harry tonelessly, knowing what his godfather was thinking.

"How?" he asked.

Harry just shook his head, closing his eyes, seeing Quirrell's flesh bubbling and blistering in his mind.

**Your friend Miss Granger accidentally knocked me over as she rushed to set fire to Snape at that Quidditch match. **

"Now that was just bloody lucky…" said Hermione weakly.

**She broke my eye contact with you. Another few seconds and I'd have got you off that broom. I'd have managed it before then if Snape hadn't been muttering a countercurse, trying to save you." **

"**Snape was trying to **_**save **_**me?" **

"**Of course," said Quirrell coolly. **"**Why do you think he wanted to referee your next match? He was trying to make sure I didn't do it again. Funny, really… he needn't have bothered. I couldn't do anything with Dumbledore watching. **

"But Dumbledore… isn't there now… he can do whatever he wants…" said Neville quietly, fearing for his friend.

Dumbledore looked down. He had been such a fool… he shouldn't have gone to the Ministry… Harry almost lost his life because of his mistake.

**All the other teachers thought Snape was trying to stop Gryffindor from winning, he **_**did **_**make himself unpopular… and what a waste of time, when after all that, I'm going to kill you tonight." **

Ron paled, now knowing just how close to dying his friend had come.

"You will not." Sirius growled.

"I'm right here, Sirius. I'm fine." said Harry in a dull sort of voice. His hands were shaking slightly.

"You sure don't look it!" said Sirius in shock, taking in Harry's condition.

Harry nodded slowly, as if he was not even thinking about what he was doing, as if his mind was elsewhere.

**Quirrell snapped his fingers. Ropes sprang out of thin air and wrapped themselves tightly around Harry. **

"You didn't tell us that you were defenseless…" said Hermione in a voice hardly like her own; it was higher pitched and shaky.

Ron was wondering how he had been so stupid; Harry hadn't woken for three days! Of _course_ he hadn't been all right! He should have known something serious had happened down there with Quirrel…

"**You're too nosy to live, Potter. **

"He does have a point… you know… just a little…" said Draco, shrinking at all the glares he was getting. "Not that I want him dead!" he snapped. "Just that he's too nosy!"

**Scurrying around the school on Halloween like that, for all I knew you'd seen me coming to look at what was guarding the Stone." **

"Scurrying around!" said Harry angrily. "I had to help a friend!"

Hermione beamed.

"_**You **_**let the troll in?" **

"**Certainly. I have a special gift with trolls — you must have seen what I did to the one in the chamber back there? Unfortunately, while everyone else was running around looking for it, Snape, who already suspected me, went straight to the third floor to head me off — and not only did my troll fail to beat you to death, **

"Because Ron knocked it out with its own club!" shouted the twins, trying to lighten the mood. "He's our brother, you know!"

Ron, never having heard before his brothers actually claiming to be related to him, was distracted from the reading long enough to roughly turn the color of a tomato.

Harry smiled, forgetting for a moment that he was still slightly angry with Ron for telling everybody he almost died. At the moment though, he couldn't really be angry at anybody; Umbridge was fired, and McGonagall wasn't even punished. Though he was looking a bit under colored because of the stress of the chapter. He knew he shouldn't be getting overworked about this chapter; as plenty of much worse and much more dangerous chapters would no doubt be read soon, however he couldn't help from feeling a little bit nervous.

What had ever happened to Quirrell? He had died, right? Had he, Harry, killed him? He shuddered, not liking that thought at all, his good mood from only seconds ago was quickly leaving him.

**that three-headed dog didn't even manage to bite Snape's leg off properly. Now, wait quietly, Potter. I need to examine this interesting mirror." **

"What mirror?" Viola asked, eyebrows furrowed.

**It was only then that Harry realized what was standing behind Quirrell. It was the Mirror of Erised. **

Everyone gasped.

It was with dreading comprehension that Harry now realized what his younger self would not understand; the stone had never really been in any danger. Harry wanted to curse himself for his own stupidity; Dumbledore had made a task that would have prevented Quirrell from ever getting that stone. Harry had never needed to drag his friends into danger. Perhaps Quirrell, with Voldemort's help, may have found a way around the enchantments on the mirror, but Harry seriously doubted this.

Harry groaned, and a few people looked at him funny, nobody knowing what was going on in that head of his.

"**This mirror is the key to finding the Stone," Quirrell murmured, tapping his way around the frame. "Trust Dumbledore to come up with something like this… but he's in London… I'll be far away by the time he gets back…" **

**All Harry could think of doing was to keep Quirrell talking and stop him from concentrating on the mirror. **

"No!" cried the majority of the Hall.

"Harry, that will draw his attention to you." said Remus, frowning.

"And if he really is close to Voldemort-

Harry shuddered, interrupting Sirius, "You have no idea how close…" he whispered.

"What do you mean?" asked Terry Boot.

"Just… just wait…" said Harry, avoiding eye contact.

"**I saw you and Snape in the forest —" he blurted out. **

"**Yes," said Quirrell idly, walking around the mirror to look at the back. "He was on to me by that time, trying to find out how far I'd got. He suspected me all along. Tried to frighten me — as though he could, when I had Lord Voldemort on my side…" **

"This is getting creepy…" muttered Katie Bell.

"You're telling me." laughed Harry humorlessly.

**Quirrell came back out from behind the mirror and stared hungrily into it. **"**I see the Stone… I'm presenting it to my master… but where is it?" **

**Harry struggled against the ropes binding him, but they didn't give. He **_**had **_**to keep Quirrell from giving his whole attention to the mirror. **

Harry nodded, in agreement with his past self; whether the stone was really out of danger from Voldemort, he was not sure, but he was not about to leave something this important to chance. Harry felt some of the guilt inside him ebbing away; he had done what had to be done, whether it was necessary or not.

"**But Snape always seemed to hate me so much."**

"**Oh, he does," said Quirrell casually, **"**heavens, yes. He was at Hogwarts with your father, didn't you know? They loathed each other. **

"They really did," said Sirius with a half of a smile on his face.

**But he never wanted you **_**dead**_**." **

"No, that's Voldemort's job, isn't it?" asked Harry quietly, though in the silence of the Hall, everyone heard.

"Stop it, Harry!" cried Ginny.

"What?" he asked, nonplused, what had he done?

"You keep talking about your death as if it's nothing… no big deal…" she said rather thickly.

"Ginny, after being so close to death so many times now, I've just gotten use to talking about it casually, that's all." said Harry.

This, apparently, was not the right thing to say.

"IT SHOULDN'T BE CASUAL!" she shouted. He looked at her, shocked; what had gotten into her? "You have friends that care about you!" she said. "Who love you!"

"I know that…" said Harry, shifting his position and averting his eyes.

"Don't you ever talk casually about your death again, Harry James Potter!" she snapped, her eyes looking curiously shiny. "You do realize what a big deal that is to those who care about you, don't you? How do you think Ron and Hermione would feel if you died?"

Ron and Hermione paled as a very unwelcome image came into their minds; Harry, on the ground, unmoving, not breathing, bloody and- don't think like that!

"How do you think my family would feel?" asked Ginny. "And Remus, and Sirius?" she paused for a minute, before speaking in a quieter tone. "Do you know what that would do? Do you know what that would do to _me_?" Tears started trailing down her cheeks, and Ginny was looking very embarrassed. She hastily wiped her eyes as her face went red and she looked down.

Harry, not quite sure what to do, having never been very good with girls, sat there quietly for a second. He then grabbed Ginny's hand and squeezed it in what he hoped was a comforting manner before lifting her head up with his other hand. "I know, Ginny."

She looked into his bright green eyes and all thoughts and words that actually made sense faded away into nothing. She couldn't think of anything to say. This was what would always happen, she would look at Harry and lose her ability to speak. _Say something!_ she told herself. _Don't just sit here like some love struck git, do something!_ _What was it Hermione had said? Be yourself._ "N-no, I don't think you do know." she managed to say.

After all these years, she no longer saw the Boy-Who-Lived. No. Now she saw Harry Potter, the boy who had the weight of the world on his shoulders. Harry, who felt the need to do everything himself, who was scared to care, in fear of losing someone else; the boy who was more brave and selfless and caring than anybody she knew.

She saw Harry; not the Boy-Who-Lived, but a boy who had been through unimaginable horrors, and still had the ability to be as kind and trusting as he was.

Ginny was no longer madly in love with the Boy-Who-Lived, her childhood dream of a supposed knight in shining armor. She was in love with Harry, who was not perfect, who had his faults just the same as everyone else, but a human being who had almost too much responsibility to bare… and yet he held strong.

She was in love with Harry.

"Harry I-

But Harry must have seen the spark of emotion in her eyes, because without stopping to think, without even considering what he was about to do, Harry kissed her.

Ron goggled and Hermione slapped him for his lack of tact. Cho was simply fuming. Yeah, she and Harry hadn't been getting along well lately… in fact they had been fighting… and they weren't going out… but she was still angry none the less.

Mrs. Weasley was positively beaming. Fred and George just raised their eyebrows, not quite sure what to make of this turn of events.

Than the Hall seemed to wake up, and guys started catcalling and whistling, and many were smiling and clapping.

Harry and Ginny separated, both having the complexion of a ripe strawberry. So, blushing furiously and smiling as if they had just won a Quidditch match, they tightened their grip on the other's hand, looking immensely satisfied and rather pleased.

Fudge who by this point was quite irritated, began reading again, his voice bringing back with him the gloom of the book, and yet, this gloom did not seem to reach Harry and Ginny, who were not very much paying attention.

"**But I heard you a few days ago, sobbing — I thought Snape was threatening you…" **

**For the first time, a spasm of fear flitted across Quirrell's face. **"**Sometimes," he said, "I find it hard to follow my master's instructions — he is a great wizard and I am weak —" **

Ron was still staring at Harry and Ginny, though the story was doing a fair job at distracting him.

Harry looked to be coming back to reality, the grin slowly fading from his face.

"**You mean he was there in the classroom with you?" Harry gasped. **

"**He is with me wherever I go," said Quirrell quietly. "I met him when I travelled around the world. A foolish young man I was then, full of ridiculous ideas about good and evil. Lord Voldemort showed me how wrong I was. There is no good and evil, there is only power, and those too weak to seek it… Since then, I have served him faithfully, although I have let him down many times. He has had to be very hard on me." Quirrell shivered suddenly. "He does not forgive mistakes easily. When I failed to steal the stone from Gringotts, he was most displeased. He punished me… decided he would have to keep a closer watch on me…" **

**Quirrell's voice trailed away. Harry was remembering his trip to Diagon Alley — how could he have been so stupid? He'd **_**seen **_**Quirrell there that very day, shaken hands with him in the Leaky Cauldron. **

McGonagall shook her head; "No eleven year old boy could have deducted that potter, no need to beat yourself up over it. You have already acted admirably." Harry was slightly shocked yet pleased to see that she was giving him one of her rare smiles.

**Quirrell cursed under his breath. **"**I don't understand… is the Stone **_**inside **_**the mirror? Should I break it?" **

**Harry's mind was racing. **

"As it always does at times like this." sighed Hermione.

Ginny, who had been slightly slower to get her head out of the clouds than Harry had, felt the grin leaving her as well. She was ecstatic, and yet… Harry was in danger… she had never heard what happened this year… and it was scaring her.

**What I want more than anything else in the world at the moment, he thought, is to find the Stone before Quirrell does. So if I look in the mirror, I should see myself finding it — which means I'll see where it's hidden! **

The teachers, along with Mad-Eye Moody, were all looking very impressed.

**But how can I look without Quirrell realizing what I'm up to? **

**He tried to edge to the left, to get in front of the glass without Quirrell noticing, but the ropes around his ankles were too tight: he tripped and fell over. **

Remus and Sirius glanced at each other worriedly; how did Harry make it out of this one?

**Quirrell ignored him. He was still talking to himself. **"**What does this mirror do? How does it work? Help me, Master!" **

"What?" asked Mrs. Weasley suddenly, who had been watching Harry and Ginny fondly. "He… he's not there, is he?"

She wasn't the only one looking frightened; in fact, Harry noticed, he seemed to be the only one in the Hall who wasn't, accept maybe Mad-Eye Moody, with whom you could never really tell.

**And to Harry's horror, a voice answered, and the voice seemed to come from Quirrell himself. **

"**Use the boy… Use the boy…" **

"Oh my…" Mrs. Weasley muttered faintly.

"Hearing voices…" Umbridge grumbled. Many people just glared at her, and she shut up instantly.

**Quirrell rounded on Harry. **

"No… no that's a bad idea…" said Sirius, "Don't use the boy… don't do it…"

"**Yes — Potter — come here." **

Remus was looking ill again, as was about everyone else in the Hall.

"Weren't you… scared?" asked Collin.

Harry nodded, "Of course I was…" he said quietly.

**He clapped his hands once, and the ropes binding Harry fell off. Harry got slowly to his feet. **

"**Come here," Quirrell repeated. "Look in the mirror and tell me what you see." **

**Harry walked toward him. **_**I must lie**_**, he thought desperately**_**. I must look and lie about what I see, that's all. **_

"That won't work…" muttered Flitwick. "You-know-who will know! He is a master at Legillimency!"

**Quirrell moved close behind him. Harry breathed in the funny smell that seemed to come from Quirrell's turban. He closed his eyes, stepped in front of the mirror, and opened them again. **

**He saw his reflection, pale and scared-looking at first. **

Ginny squeezed his hand, and he returned the pressure, unable to stop the faint smile that rose to his lips.

**But a moment later, the reflection smiled at him. It put its hand into its pocket and pulled out a blood-red stone. It winked and put the Stone back in its pocket — and as it did so, Harry felt something heavy drop into his real pocket. Somehow — incredibly —**_**he'd gotten the Stone. **_

"**Well?" said Quirrell impatiently. "What do you see?" **

**Harry screwed up his courage. **

Hermione smiled at him, and Neville shook his head admiringly. "You are something else." he said.

"**I see myself shaking hands with Dumbledore," he invented. "I — I've won the house cup for Gryffindor." **

"Not bad," said a few people; it was actually believable, considering they had been last in line for the cup at that point.

**Quirrell cursed again. **

Everybody sighed in relief, Quirrell had fallen for it!

"**Get out of the way," he said. As Harry moved aside, he felt the Philosopher's Stone against his leg. Dare he make a break for it? But he hadn't walked five paces before a high voice spoke, though Quirrell wasn't moving his lips. **

"**He lies… He lies…" **

Hermione gave a terrified squeak and squeezed herself closer to Harry and grabbed his other hand, who was already surrounded by such a crowd of people that this made it a rather tight fit. Sirius, wanting to be closer to his godson, transformed quickly and just laid rather carelessly across Hermione, Ginny, and Harry's laps, whining softly.

"**Potter, come back here!" Quirrell shouted. "Tell me the truth! What did you just see?" **

**The high voice spoke again. **"**Let me speak to him… face-to-face…" **

"No!" Hermione squeaked again, though this time accompanied by quite a few other females, and even a few males.

"**Master, you are not strong enough!" **

"**I have strength enough… for this…" **

"Oh bloody hell…" Remus muttered, eyes wide.

Sirius, in dog form, started whining louder.

**Harry felt as if Devil's Snare was rooting him to the spot. He couldn't move a muscle. Petrified, he watched as Quirrell reached up and began to unwrap his turban. **

"Wh-what?" asked Mrs. Weasley who looked as if she were about to faint.

**What was going on? The turban fell away. Quirrell's head looked strangely small without it. Then he turned slowly on the spot. **

**Harry would have screamed, but he couldn't make a sound. **

The Hall silenced in a scared sense of foreboding.

**Where there should have been a back to Quirrell's head, there was a face, the most terrible face Harry had ever seen. It was chalk white with glaring red eyes and slits for nostrils, like a snake. **"**Harry Potter…" it whispered. **

Susan Bones fell backwards in a dead faint, and she wasn't the only one, Padma Patil and Lavender Brown soon joined her.

Madam Bones and Madam Pomfrey were moving in an instant. Amelia went straight to her niece and took her wand out to whisper, "Rennervate." Madam Pomfrey did the same with the other two girls.

"N-n-no!" stuttered Umbridge, "Th-that book h-has to be lying!"

"The books haven't lied!" said Harry loudly and clearly. "And neither have I. Voldemort is back."

Silence greeted this statement.

Sighing, Harry took out his wand and summoned the book away from a very flustered looking Minister of Magic, muttering under his breath about inept officers, before he himself began to read. He really hadn't wanted to read again, but nobody else was looking as if they could speak properly accept perhaps Moody and Dumbledore. Harry had a feeling Moody would probably just point blank refuse to read, and Harry didn't feel much like asking Dumbledore to read, it would make him feel weak, unable to read a stupid book.

**Harry tried to take a step backward but his legs wouldn't move. **

"**See what I have become?" the face said. **"**Mere shadow and vapor… I have form only when I can share another's body… **

"So, he's alive… but he's not returned to full strength." said Fudge slowly.

Harry glared at him. "Is it really that much of a stretch to believe that he has his own body now? Are you really that stubborn?"

"Potter, I-

But Harry didn't want to hear it.

**but there have always been those willing to let me into their hearts and minds… **

**Unicorn blood has strengthened me, these past weeks… you saw faithful Quirrell drinking it for me in the forest… and once I have the Elixir of Life, I will be able to create a body of my own… Now… why don't you give me that Stone in your pocket?" **

"Oh no… oh no… oh no… oh no…" Ginny was muttering, practically glued to Harry's side.

**So he knew. The feeling suddenly surged back into Harry's legs. He stumbled backward. **

Many looked at him in awe and with pride. "How you can move after that is beyond me." said Neville.

"**Don't be a fool," snarled the face. "Better save your own life and join me… or you'll meet the same end as your parents… They died begging me for mercy…" **

Sirius started growling, and Remus looked furious.

"**LIAR!" Harry shouted suddenly. **

"That's right Harry. Don't take that from him!" said Remus.

**Quirrell was walking backward at him, so that Voldemort could still see him. The evil face was now smiling. **"**How touching…" it hissed. "I always value bravery… Yes, boy, your parents were brave… I killed your father first; and he put up a courageous fight… but your mother needn't have died… she was trying to protect you… Now give me the Stone, unless you want her to have died in vain."**

"That's… horrible…" said Madam Bones, now sitting with Susan.

"**NEVER!" **

Dumbledore was swelling with pride.

"Mate, how can you even speak?" asked Ron quietly. He knew Harry had done lots of stuff on his own, usually the most dangerous stuff and fighting You-know-who, and he knew Harry was brave but… he supposed it earned more respect when he heard exactly what Harry had to go through… and this was only first year…

**Harry sprang toward the flame door, but Voldemort screamed "SEIZE HIM!" **

"RUN!" many people yelled.

"Get out of there, Harry!"

"He's not going to make it!"

**and the next second, Harry felt Quirrell's hand close on his wrist. **

Ron and Hermione were silently begging for Dumbledore to show up already. Quickly, before Harry got hurt… but they knew now that Harry had only just avoided death… and they were not looking forward to reading about it.

**At once, a needle-sharp pain seared across Harry's scar; his head felt as though it was about to split in two; **

Hermione felt tears come to her eyes; she had never known his scar was this painful. Harry would always wave it off as if it were nothing, but now she knew to never fall for that again.

**he yelled, struggling with all his might, and to his surprise, Quirrell let go of him. **

"Good, no get out of there!" cried Remus.

Sirius got off of Harry and turned back into a man; he needed to voice his concerns, or he would explode. "GO HARRY! NOW!"

**The pain in his head lessened — he looked around wildly to see where Quirrell had gone, and saw him hunched in pain, looking at his fingers — they were blistering before his eyes. **

"What?" many asked in confusion.

"**Seize him! SEIZE HIM!" shrieked Voldemort again, **

"Man that's scary…" Angelina whispered, looking very white.

**and Quirrell lunged, knocking Harry clean off his feet landing on top of him, both hands around Harry's neck**

Sirius let out a wordless vehement yell of rage and fear. _Get out of there._

Hermione screamed as well, as did many others in the room.

— **Harry's scar was almost blinding him with pain, yet he could see Quirrell howling in agony. **"**Master, I cannot hold him — my hands — my hands!" **

**And Quirrell, though pinning Harry to the ground with his knees, let go of his neck and stared, bewildered, at his own palms — Harry could see they looked burned, raw, red, and shiny. **

"**Then kill him, fool, and be done!" screeched Voldemort. **

Remus was more scared than he had been in a long time. He knew Harry survived, for he was sitting right next to him… and yet… it had been a close thing, and Quirrell was on top of Harry, so how did he escape? He had never imagined Harry would meet Voldemort in his first year…

**Quirrell raised his hand to perform a deadly curse, but Harry, by instinct, reached up and grabbed Quirrell's face — **

"Good job, Potter." said Moody.

"**AAAARGH!" Quirrell rolled off him, his face blistering, too, and then Harry knew: Quirrell couldn't touch his bare skin, not without suffering terrible pain — his only chance was to keep hold of Quirrell, keep him in enough pain to stop him from doing a curse. **

"Grab him then!" shouted Sirius.

Remus, seeing a very uneasy looking Dumbledore, said "That might not be such a good idea…"

**Harry jumped to his feet, caught Quirrell by the arm, and hung on as tight as he could. Quirrell screamed and tried to throw Harry off — the pain in Harry's head was building**

"Oh no…" said Remus. "It's hurting Harry too!"

— **he couldn't see — **

"You're… dying…" said Ron, as if he couldn't comprehend the simplicity of the words.

**he could only hear Quirrell's terrible shrieks and Voldemort's yells of, "KILL HIM! KILL HIM!"**

Neville was starting to understand why Harry had nightmares every night, but when he voiced this, Harry shook his head.

"This is nothing compared to the nightmares I have now."

Neville, nor anybody else in the Hall, liked the sound of that. Nothing? _Nothing? _What other horrors had Harry gone through that made this look like nothing?

**and other voices, maybe in Harry's own head, crying, "Harry! Harry!" **

Harry spared a quick grateful look at Dumbledore.

**He felt Quirrell's arm wrenched from his grasp, knew all was lost, and fell into blackness, down… down… down… **

"So that's it…" said Sirius in a tone that was similar to one you would use at a funeral. "That's how you almost died… WHAT HAPPENED!?"

Harry chuckled, and Sirius looked at him as if he were crazy. "What are you laughing at?! You almost just died!"

"I know," said Harry, smiling, "You're just overreacting a bit-

"I AM NOT OVERREACTING!"

**Something gold was glinting just above him. The Snitch! He tried to catch it, but his arms were too heavy. He blinked. It wasn't the Snitch at all. It was a pair of glasses. How strange. **

"You have one strange mind, Potter." said Malfoy, though his voice was not as steady as usual; the chapter had taken its toll on him too.

**He blinked again. The smiling face of Albus Dumbledore swam into view above him. **"**Good afternoon, Harry," said Dumbledore. **

"You saved him, sir?" asked Remus gratefully.

Dumbledore nodded sadly, thinking about how scared he had been that night…

**Harry stared at him. Then he remembered: "Sir! The Stone! It was Quirrell! He's got the Stone! Sir, quick —" **

"Harry!" cried Angelina, "Forget the stone for a moment, you almost died!"

"**Calm yourself, dear boy, you are a little behind the times," said Dumbledore. "Quirrell does not have the Stone." **

"**Then who does? Sir, I —" **

"Calm down, Harrykins!" said Fred and George, eyes wide. "You'll give yourself a heart attack!"

"Really, mate." said Ron.

"This happened years ago!" said Harry.

"**Harry, please relax, or Madam Pomfrey will have me thrown out." **

A few people started to snigger, and Madam Pomfrey nodded her head curtly; "Yes I would have! When Potter gets excited, he won't sit still! How he expects to heal when he keeps trying to get out of bed is beyond me! He's much too restless for his own good."

"You can say that again…" muttered Dean, Seamus, and Ron, who shared their room with Harry, and had noticed all too often that Harry hardly ever gets any rest whether it's because of nightmares, or stress, or homework.

**Harry swallowed and looked around him. He realized he must be in the hospital wing. **

Madam Pomfrey sighed; "Your first time in the Hospital Wing… oh how the years fly. You, along with Mister Longbottom of course, are my two most frequent visitors you know."

Harry and Neville blushed while the rest of the school just laughed.

"Well, you're all right, Harry." said Neville, "At least you get in the Hospital Wing because you saved a friends life or stopped You-know-who from returning again; while as I am just accident prone…"

Harry smiled at him, "I think I'd prefer falling on my face to battling giant spiders, Neville."

Molly and Remus blanched, _battling giant spiders?_

Neville couldn't hold back a grin, "Yeah… I suppose I'd prefer that too."

**He was lying in a bed with white linen sheets, and next to him was a table piled high with what looked like half the candy shop. **

"**Tokens from your friends and admirers," said Dumbledore, beaming. "What happened down in the dungeons between you and Professor Quirrell is a complete secret, so, naturally, the whole school knows. **

"As if! Those wild rumors were nothing like the real story!" cried Lee.

**I believe your friends Misters Fred and George Weasley were responsible for trying to send you a toilet seat. **

Molly sent the twins a nice Weasley glare, and they seemed to sink down in their seats. "You told us not to send Ginny one, you never mentioned Harry!" said Fred.

"Yeah, he needed some cheering up, Mum!" said George.

**No doubt they thought it would amuse you. **

"Precisely." said the twins together, ignoring their mother.

**Madam Pomfrey, however, felt it might not be very hygienic, and confiscated it." **

"Aww…" moaned Fred and George, no doubt wanting to hear what Harry thought of their fantastically amazing gift of the century.

"**How long have I been in here?" **

"**Three days. **

"Oh…!" exclaimed half of Hogwarts, looking at Harry in worry.

**Mr. Ronald Weasley and Miss Granger will be most relieved you have come round, they have been extremely worried." **

"The biggest understatement of the century!" cried Ron.

"Now you must realize why I didn't tell you how Harry almost… well… it is obvious you were distraught enough already." said Madam Pomfrey.

"I understand…" said Hermione quietly. "But… I still would have wanted to know…"

"**But sir, the Stone —" **

"You're just told you were unconscious for three days, and you're still asking about the stone?" asked Malfoy skeptically

"Yup." said Harry, not caring to elaborate to Draco Malfoy.

"**I see you are not to be distracted. **

"Trust us, Professor, we've tried." said Ron, to everyone's general amusement. "If he's trying to figure something out, be prepared to not rest until whatever it is gets solved."

**Very well, the Stone. Professor Quirrell did not manage to take it from you. I arrived in time to prevent that, although you were doing very well on your own, I must say." **

"**You got there? You got Hermione's owl?" **

"**We must have crossed in midair. No sooner had I reached London than it became clear to me that the place I should be was the one I had just left. I arrived just in time to pull Quirrell off you." **

"That is no exaggeration…" said Madam Pomfrey, "It really was _just_ in time."

"**It was **_**you**_**." **

"**I feared I might be too late." **

"He nearly was…" muttered Pomfrey.

"**You nearly were, I couldn't have kept him off the Stone much longer –" **

A few people groaned.

"Don't you ever think about yourself?" asked Viola.

"Yes," said Harry defiantly.

"When?" she asked, curious.

"Er… when… I…"

"I thought so." she said smugly.

"No, I do, I just need to think a minute-

"If you need to think about it, than the answer is obvious." said Viola kindly.

"**Not the Stone, boy, you — the effort involved nearly killed you. For one terrible moment there, I was afraid it had. **

This made everyone who had been scared for Harry before absolutely terrified now. Madam Pomfrey, they understood, sometimes she would get a little emotional and over exaggerate; but Dumbledore? Dumbledore was as Serious as they came, and if he was scared… Harry must have been literally an inch from death that night.

**As for the Stone, it has been destroyed." **

"**Destroyed?" said Harry blankly. "But your friend — Nicolas Flamel —" **

"**Oh, you know about Nicolas?" said Dumbledore, sounding quite delighted. **

The students all smiled up at their Headmaster, in their opinion, the greatest one Hogwarts had ever had.

**"You **_**did **_**do the thing properly, didn't you? Well, Nicolas and I have had a little chat, and agreed it's all for the best." **

"**But that means he and his wife will die, won't they?" **

"**They have enough Elixir stored to set their affairs in order and then, yes, they will die." Dumbledore smiled at the look of amazement on Harry's face. **

"**To one as young as you, I'm sure it seems incredible, but to Nicolas and Perenelle, it really is like going to bed after a very, **_**very **_**long day. After all, to the well-organized mind, death is but the next great adventure. You know, the Stone was really not such a wonderful thing. As much money and life as you could want! The two things most human beings would choose above all — the trouble is, humans do have a knack of choosing precisely those things that are worst for them." **

"That's a really good way to look at it…" said Luna thoughtfully. "The next great adventure…"

**Harry lay there, lost for words. Dumbledore hummed a little and smiled at the ceiling. **

Harry was reading with a grin on his face. Dumbledore really was one of a kind.

"**Sir?" said Harry. "I've been thinking… sir — even if the Stone's gone, Vol-, I mean, You-Know-Who —" **

"Ha!" Harry cried out, making a few people jump. "Fourth year; I thought about myself a lot."

Viola rolled her eyes, "I can imagine, since you were nearly killed multiple times. That's not what I meant Harry. I'm talking about non life threatening situations. Haven't you ever just… wanted something, for no apparent reason other than your own happiness?"

Harry sat there, obviously in deep thought. "I wanted a Firebolt."

A huge smile was suddenly on Sirius' face. "And _I_ got you one!"

Viola muttered something about 'boys' and 'Quidditch' before Harry started reading again. Trust the only thing Harry Potter wanted in the world to be a broomstick.

"**Call him Voldemort, Harry. Always use the proper name for things. Fear of a name increases fear of the thing itself." **

"**Yes, sir. Well, Voldemort's going to try other ways of coming back, isn't he? I mean, he hasn't gone, has he?" **

"He has gone." said Umbridge, but nobody listened to her anymore. She settled for glaring at Harry. She would get him back for this.

"**No, Harry, he has not. **

"Hear that, everyone?!" called Harry to the Great Hall. It was obvious for Harry to tell who still didn't believe he was back with a body and full power and everything, for they fidgeted and looked at the ground as Harry's eyes passed over them.

**He is still out there somewhere, perhaps looking for another body to share… not being truly alive, he cannot be killed. He left Quirrell to die; he shows just as little mercy to his followers as his enemies. Nevertheless, Harry, while you may only have delayed his return to power, it will merely take someone else who is prepared to fight what seems a losing battle next time**— **and if he is delayed again, and again, why, he may never return to power." **

**Harry nodded, but stopped quickly, because it made his head hurt. **

Ginny noticed Umbridge smiling at Harry's pain, and she grew very nervous. Umbridge was planning something, she just knew it. She would have to warn Harry after the chapter was over.

**Then he said, "Sir, there are some other things I'd like to know, if you can tell me… things I want to know the truth about…" **

"**The truth." Dumbledore sighed. "It is a beautiful and terrible thing, and should therefore be treated with great caution. However, I shall answer your questions unless I have a very good reason not to, in which case I beg you'll forgive me. I shall not, of course, lie." **

"**Well… Voldemort said that he only killed my mother because she tried to stop him from killing me. But why would he want to kill me in the first place?" **

Many people sat up straighter in their chairs, obviously expecting a long and thought out answer of Dumbledore's, but instead they were disappointed.

**Dumbledore sighed very deeply this time. **"**Alas, the first thing you ask me, I cannot tell you. Not today. Not now. You will know, one day… put it from your mind for now, Harry. When you are older… I know you hate to hear this… when you are ready, you will know." **

Harry paused, and then raised his head to the Headmaster. "Am… am I ready yet, Sir?"

Dumbledore sighed and thought for a moment. He really should tell Harry… but imagine the extra strain and responsibility that would be on his shoulders in addition to what he already has… but Harry has proved himself many times now, he has shown that he is ready to know… but… but…

Harry, knowing he wasn't going to get an answer any time soon, continued.

**And Harry knew it would be no good to argue. **"**But why couldn't Quirrell touch me?" **

"**Your mother died to save you. If there is one thing Voldemort cannot understand, it is love. He didn't realize that love as powerful as your mother's for you leaves its own mark. Not a scar, no visible sign… to have been loved so deeply, even though the person who loved us is gone, will give us some protection forever. **

Harry's voice broke, and he was suddenly very quiet. Remus, taking mercy on the boy, took the book from him and continued reading instead, though his voice was sounding oddly tight.

**It is in your very skin. Quirrell, full of hatred, greed, and ambition, sharing his soul with Voldemort, could not touch you for this reason. It was agony to touch a person marked by something so good." **

The girls of Hogwarts (among those most interested being Cho Chang and Romilda Vane) looked at him with sloppy grins on their faces. Harry shrunk into Ginny's side, not understanding their looks, but Ginny understood. She put her arm around Harry, feeling a fluttery feeling around the area of her stomach as she did so. Romilda sent her a withering glare, but she just smiled back politely.

**Dumbledore now became very interested in a bird out on the windowsill, which gave Harry time to dry his eyes on the sheet. **

Harry blushed, and the girls looked even more entranced. What is it with these crazy ladies? wondered Harry.

**When he had found his voice again, Harry said, "And the invisibility cloak — do you know who sent it to me?" **

"**Ah — your father happened to leave it in my possession, and I thought you might like it." **

Snape sent a quick glare at Dumbledore, as did many of the other teachers, who just chuckled. The teachers however, did not find this even remotely funny. Yes, the boy probably snuck around in it, but it also helped him get into dangerous situations more than he ought to.

**Dumbledore's eyes twinkled. "Useful things… your father used it mainly for sneaking off to the kitchens to steal food when he was here." **

"Your father steals food from the kitchens…" said Viola slowly, "And you use it to sneak out at night and save the world from You-know-who returning…"

Severus frowned; Harry may look a lot like James… but he could see Lily in there… more than ever before.

"**And there's something else…" **

"**Fire away." **

"**Quirrell said Snape —" **

"_**Professor **_**Snape, Harry." **

"**Yes, him**—

The strain the students put into keeping themselves from laughing was comical, which just made everyone want to laugh harder. McGonagall smiled at them all fondly, while Snape just glowered at the floor.

**Quirrell said he hates me because he hated my father. Is that true?" **

"**Well, they did rather detest each other. **

Sirius snorted. "'Rather detest'… that's one way you could put it, I suppose." he said with a smile.

**Not unlike yourself and Mr. Malfoy. And then, your father did something Snape could never forgive." **

"**What?" **

"**He saved his life." **

McGonagall, who had been taking a quick drink from her goblet, seemed to choke for a second. _What was this? _

"_**What**_**?" **

"**Yes…" said Dumbledore dreamily. "Funny, the way people's minds work, isn't it? Professor Snape couldn't bear being in your father's debt… I do believe he worked so hard to protect you this year because he felt that would make him and your father even. Then he could go back to hating your father's memory in peace…" **

Snape sighed almost inaudibly. He knew Dumbledore wouldn't go back on his promise of not telling anyone… but it was nice to be sure.

**Harry tried to understand this but it made his head pound, so he stopped. **

Fred and George sniggered. "Don't overexert yourself Harry."

"**And sir, there's one more thing…" **

"**Just the one?" **

Ron smiled at his best friend. Why he had ditched Harry in fourth year was beyond him; honestly, life just hadn't been as fun, or dangerous, without him.

"**How did I get the Stone out of the mirror?" **

"**Ah, now, I'm glad you asked me that. It was one of my more brilliant ideas, and between you and me, that's saying something. **

"Aren't you the modest one." said Minerva, smiling.

**You see, only one who wanted to **_**find **_**the Stone — find it, but not use it — would be able to get it, otherwise they'd just see themselves making gold or drinking Elixir of Life. My brain surprises even me sometimes… **

Harry and a few teachers laughed at Dumbledore's, as Minerva put it, 'modesty'.

**Now, enough questions. I suggest you make a start on these sweets. Ah! Bettie Bott's Every Flavour Beans! I was unfortunate enough in my youth to come across a vomit flavoured one, **

"Eeww…" muttered Lavender.

**and since then I'm afraid I've rather lost my liking for them**

"Anyone would."

— **but I think I'll be safe with a nice toffee, don't you?" He smiled and popped the golden-brown bean into his mouth. Then he choked and said, "Alas! Ear wax!" **

"Er… that's it." said Lupin, looking at the rest of the page which was blank. "The next chapter is called…" he turned the page, and his expression grew angry. "The Worst Birthday."

"Oh…" said Harry, going red. "Right…"

"That'll be next year then," said Ron. "Second year, right?"

Harry nodded, still red in the face.

Fred and George clapped their hands and rubbed them together saying, "Excellent!"

"Now we'll know why you drove that car to school!" said Dean excitedly.

"And we'll know all about that hover charm you used that summer!" said Fudge, "Everyone will know you were lying about that house elf!"

"And we'll know how you saved the school!" piped up Collin.

"And how you can speak parseltongue!" said Ernie.

"Harry," whispered Ginny, and Harry smiled, squeezing her hand, "I'd watch out, if I were you."

"What, why?"

"Umbridge has hardly taken her eyes off you all chapter."

"Nah, she's way too old, you've got no competition there, Ginny-

Ginny slapped him, though she was smiling, hearing the humor in his words. "I _meant_, is that she looks… up to something. Just… just be careful."

"I'm always careful." Harry said. She raised her eyebrow quizzically. "Er… I'll be extra careful for you, though."

"All right, all right, settle down, settle down." said Dumbledore over the buzzing students, who were all talking about what they thought would happen in Harry's second year. "After you all eat, we will start reading Harry's next year."

"Can you put the tables back?" a shy first year asked; she was quite tired of sitting on the floor.

Dumbledore nodded, smiling at the first year who blushed madly.

"Finally!" Ron moaned. "I'm starving!"

A/N: Sorry about the Harry/Ginny thing if it wasn't good enough, but I'm not that good at starting romances, and I was getting impatient.


	18. 1st Author's Note

A lot of you guys had questions, and I 'm gonna answer them quickly.

One: yes, this is a Ginny/Harry fanfiction

Two: I apologize, but my updates are going to be slightly irregular. With school, I can't always guarantee when I'll have free time to write, but I promise, I'll write as often as I can. I would like to do at least one a day, but I cannot promise you that.

Three: Here's the big thing that I have been debating on since the beginning: books from the future. (half of 5, 6, and 7) I for one, think that messing with the future is too risky and dangerous, and that would change the outcome of everything, which I actually like. So here's the deal: Once we get caught up to present time, I will decide what I am doing.

Four: Yes, they are going to find out about detentions with Dolores soon, and trust me, the reactions are going to be awesome.

I'm glad you guys are loving this, because I sure am enjoying writing it. Your reviews make me SO FRIEKIN HAPPY!

So thank you, and goodnight (dramatic bow).


	19. Umbridge's Revenge

A/N: To those of you who have not caught on yet, I am not doing all of the chapters of the books (obviously). I'm going to skip to the more important/exciting parts.

The school had the rest of the day off, whether it was for temporary relief of the stress the books had on them, or as celebration of the ending of the first year, students wandered the grounds and hung out in the common rooms talking; almost everyone was talking about Harry Potter.

Many people had come to believe Harry over the past few days, as they had learned much about him that they had not known before. With all their new knowledge on the supposed 'mad man', many of the students couldn't help but believe that Harry had absolutely nothing to gain by lying about You-know-who being back, and absolutely everything to lose.

Yet there were still those from stubborn families that have complete faith in the Ministry of Magic and what they read in the Daily Prophet, (idiots), who while they may believe that You-know-who was not in fact dead, did not believe that he had his own body.

However, it didn't matter what view you had on the matters of You-know-who's return, Harry was the talk of the school.

One person who couldn't but help to notice this was Harry Potter himself, by now very aggravated and annoyed at all the staring and pointing; however the one thing he didn't understand was the rove of girls that seemed to have taken to following him around. He, Ron, Hermione, and Ginny had managed to escape to a secluded part of the grounds down near the Black Lake. The four sat staring at the water, each enveloped in their own thoughts.

How he had managed to escape from the worried clutches of his godfather, Harry would never know. Sirius was seeming rather overprotective at the moment, though Harry (being the clueless person he is) had no idea as to why.

Harry was slightly relieved for his first year to already be finished, and yet, he couldn't help but feel overwhelmed by the fact that each year only got more dangerous than the last. It was with great apprehension that Harry felt fourth year creeping ever closer.

Ginny, hand in hand with Harry, was extremely nervous, though perhaps not as nervous as Harry. This next year is the one where she opened the Chamber of Secrets… a year she did not much enjoy thinking about.

Ron and Hermione were feeling slightly ashamed with themselves. Harry always had to go through the worst of everything. They had helped, but he was always, always, always alone for the 'final battle'. Where were they? Why were they always injured or not around when Harry was in the most danger? They just wished they could do more to help…

Somewhere in another secluded part of the Hogwarts grounds were Sirius Black and Remus Lupin.

"What happened in the graveyard, Sirius?" Remus asked after a long silence. "It's obvious that, whatever it is, is still haunting him. I've wanted to ask… but it's such a sore subject for him…"

Sirius sighed. "I'm afraid, if Harry couldn't tell you, than I don't think I can. He hasn't even told his two best friends… I'm sorry Remus, but it's not for me to tell."

Remus nodded, he had expected as much. "Harry has been to hell and back, hasn't he?"

Sirius looked down, tears in his eyes; "More than once."

xXx-

Umbridge sat in her office, or what use to be her office anyway. The boy had ruined everything. _Everything…_ She wanted to do something, to get back at him… to make him sorry he _ever_ messed with Dolores Jane Umbridge. Getting a sudden idea, she went to the fireplace and disappeared in a whirl of green flames.

Coughing, she stepped out of the grate. She had been down Knocturn Alley only a few times before, but this was the first time she was actually excited. She was in a shabby sort of shop, one that she knew, were she standing outside, she would see a faded sign that read 'Bogue's Special Services'. It wasn't really a shop; it was a place where you could… buy favors.

Walking to the front desk, Umbridge rang a small bell. Alerted by the noise, a tall, heavily built, unshaven man trudged in from a back room. "Dolores," he grumbled in greeting.

"Yes, hello Bogue." she said, slightly impatient. "Listen, I require your services."

Bogue raised his eyebrows and scratched his chin which was covered in a black scraggly beard. "I'm listening."

Bogue was the man people went to when they were desperate. When people needed something done, yet they were too hesitant or scared to try, they could go to Bogue. He wasn't an unpleasant man, just someone who had done rather unpleasant things. He would do anything as long as he was paid enough. Some of his past 'favors' had included murdering a woman for cheating on a jealous husband, bewitching common household items to slaughter a rich uncle for a child who was greedy and knew he had been left everything in the uncle's will.

There was nothing Bogue wouldn't do. As long as you had enough money. Being in this rather unpleasant area of business, he knew some pretty dark magic. He was always loyal to his employer though; his policy included a statute of secrecy, the identity of his employers would never be revealed.

It was this man's services and magic that Umbridge had come to acquire. "I need you to come back with me to Hogwarts and perform a binding spell."

Bogue did not even seem surprised. This was not an uncommon request. Sometimes, a man would want an emotional bond placed on them and an ex-lover, so the woman could feel the pain and sorrow he had been enduring for years. Sometimes, people would request that they be bound to their loved one, so they would always know if the other were in danger.

"What kind of bind?" he asked.

"A feeling bind." she replied.

A feeling bind, most unlike an emotional bind where the two bound would just experience the same emotions, was when whatever pain one would feel the other would feel also. Bogue nodded. "On who?"

"On a who… and a what."

This was slightly more uncommon, though not unheard of. Sometimes people would come to Bogue, slightly crazy they may be, intent on finding out if plants felt pain. He had once been paid to bind an old man to his pumpkin. Bogue's job was not to ask questions, but to follow orders. So he bound the man to his pumpkin and left, not even staying to find out if plants felt pain. He was not interested in that. All he wanted was the money.

"On a character in a book," said Umbridge, flushing slightly, "And on the same person, but in real life."

Bogue nodded again. "May I ask who?"

"Harry Potter."

This was new. "Harry P-Potter?" he spluttered.

Umbridge took out a decent sized bag of galleons and dropped it onto the counter, being sure that it made a loud clanking noise when it hit the surface.

"Okay… Harry Potter…" Bogue had been faced with difficult tasks before, but deliberately putting a binding spell on the Boy Who Lived? This would be a real challenge.

"There is a book, about Potter," said Umbridge, "And I want the real Harry to feel whatever pain the Harry in the book feels."

"You understand, that Potter cannot be killed in real life if he is killed in the books?" he asked. "He will bleed, and he will hurt, and feel the effect of whatever happens in the books, though it is all an illusion. For example, if he were to be hit by a stunning spell in the book, the real Potter would feel the impact and the pain of it, but he would not be stunned. Understand?"

Umbridge nodded.

"If he were to be killed in the books, or lost his sole to a dementor, the binding spell would end. You are sure about this? Once the spell is placed, it cannot be removed."

Umbridge nodded yet again.

"Very well. I will do this for you. I need you to take me to the book for me to be able to do the spell."

xXx-

That night, when everyone else had gone to sleep, Umbridge was supposedly 'patrolling the corridors' with Bogue following while under a disillusionment charm. She led him to the Great Hall where the book lay on the teachers table at the far end of the room.

Bogue took out his wand and pointed at the book and muttered incantations under his breath. The first page began to glow, than the second and third. The glowing light was slowly spreading through the book. He didn't go far, however, when a voice could be heard, obviously on their way into the Hall.

"Dumbledore…" muttered Umbridge worriedly. She heard McGonagall and Dumbledore on their way…

Bogue stopped the spell immediately. Only a small portion of the book was glowing, but Bogue did not seem intent on continuing. "Dumbledore, you said? This wasn't in the deal." He fled. It was one thing to sneak into Hogwarts and cast a binding spell, but to confront Albus Dumbledore? That was one risk he would never be willing to take.

Umbridge was furious; that bastard had taken her money! She quickly checked the book, whose glow was slowly fading, to find out how far Bogue had made the spell. It stopped on a chapter called, Hermione's Secret (A/N: Near the end of Book 3). The binding spell would only be in place for a short while. (A/N: the spell will end at the end of Prisoner of Azkaban)

Quickly, to avoid being seen, Umbridge left the Hall, leaving the now normal looking book right where they had found it. She allowed a small grin to make its way onto her face; Potter would be in for a very unpleasant surprise tomorrow morning.

A/N: Hope that's all right, no hard feelings please! I did my best to make this as interesting for everybody as I could. Keep reviewing, and I'll keep writing! :)


	20. The Worst Birthday

A/N: Glad you all liked it! We are officially on book two! Woohoo! I feel so accomplished!

"Hungry, are you?" asked Ginny, staring at Harry who was gulfing down more food than Ron, which was saying something.

"Starving." replied Harry.

It was the next morning, and everyone was well rested and ready to start Harry's second year. The house tables were back, so Harry and the rest of the Gryffindors were sitting in their usual seats as everyone ate breakfast.

Harry, who hadn't really eaten for such a long time, was feeling absolutely famished. He felt good; for the first time in a long time, his sleep had been uninterrupted by pain or nightmares. He had not tossed or turned, or yelled in his sleep, he had been peaceful. For some reason, despite the fact that they were reading about his life, Harry felt rather cheery. He had gotten well needed rest, and his scar was not even prickling.

His good mood would not be there for long. In fact, it would be gone quite soon.

Once everyone was finished eating, Dumbledore stood up, and silence followed. "So we are moving on to Mister Potter's second year of Hogwarts. Any volunteers who would like to read first?"

"I will!" cried Tonks, unashamedly jumping up and down in her seat.

Dumbledore chuckled and levitated her the book. Nobody noticed the excited smile on Dolores Umbridge's face.

**'The Worst Birthday' **Tonks read, and the happy faces of the Hall fell slightly. _What now?_

**Not for the first time, an argument had broken out over breakfast at number four, Privet Drive. **

The entire Hall groaned as one. They were in a good mood; which is _not_ the mood anyone would want ruined by hearing about Harry's life at the Dursleys.

**Mr. Vernon Dursley had been woken in the early hours of the morning by a loud, hooting noise from his nephew Harry's room. **

"**Third time this week!" he roared across the table. "If you can't control that owl, it'll have to go!" **

Jaws dropped. Owls hoot. It's just what they do. "Is he _really_ yelling at Hedwig for hooting?" asked Viola.

"No," said Harry, his good mood slowly fading; he knew what happened to make this day his 'worst birthday', and he was not looking forward to everyone hearing about it. "He's yelling at me for Hedwig's hooting."

"But… you didn't do anything…"

"I know." he said.

**Harry tried, yet again, to explain. **"**She's **_**bored**_**," he said. "She's used to flying around outside. If I could just let her out at night -" **

"He's not lettin' 'er out?" growled Hagrid angrily. "What does Dursley think he's doin'?

"**Do I look stupid?" snarled Uncle Vernon, a bit of fried egg dangling from his bushy moustache. **"**I know what'll happen if that owl's let out." He exchanged dark looks with his wife, Petunia. **

**Harry tried to argue back but his words were drowned by a long, loud belch from the Dursleys' son, Dudley. **"**I want more bacon." **

"Horrid child." Mrs. Weasley muttered.

"**There's more in the frying pan, sweetums," said Aunt Petunia, turning misty eyes on her massive son. "We must build you up while we've got the chance… I don't like the sound of that school food…" **

"Build him up?" asked Fred, aghast.

"They want to _build_ him _up_?" asked George again, just as appalled.

"**Nonsense, Petunia, I never went hungry when **_**I **_**was at Smeltings," said Uncle Vernon heartily. **

"Obviously not…" muttered Ron.

**"Dudley gets enough, don't you, son?"**

The twins snorted; he got more than enough.

**Dudley, who was so large his bottom drooped over either side of the kitchen chair**

Utter revulsion is what showed on everyone's faces. Harry found their expressions rather funny, though he didn't say anything lest he burst out laughing.

**, grinned and turned to Harry. **"**Pass the frying pan." **

"**You've forgotten the magic word," said Harry irritably. **

Everyone winced.

"Stupid thing to say, Potter." said Malfoy.

"You don't think I know that?" asked Harry. "I was… on edge, and it sort of slipped out. It was stupid… I regret it now, of course."

**The effect of this simple sentence on the rest of the family was incredible: Dudley gasped and fell off his chair with a crash that shook the whole kitchen; Mrs. Dursley gave a small scream and clapped her hands to her mouth; Mr. Dursley jumped to his feet, veins throbbing in his temples. **

"**I meant 'please'!" said Harry quickly. "I didn't mean —" **

Sirius gritted his teeth; Harry had to live with these horrid people every summer, where he couldn't even say the word 'magic'.

"**WHAT HAVE I TOLD YOU," thundered his uncle, spraying spit over the table, **"**ABOUT SAYING THE 'M' WORD IN OUR HOUSE?"**

"**But I —" **

Why was this so heartbreaking? Why did everyone feel as if they were being doused in cold water? To hear Harry, who was so strong and brave, being scolded for something that was utterly ridiculous, and to hear his feeble attempts at defending himself; it was nothing short of infuriating, yet horrifying at the same time. They couldn't explain their reactions, but they supposed that, after reading about some of the crap he had to go through, they were becoming a bit protective of him.

"**HOW DARE YOU THREATEN DUDLEY!" roared Uncle Vernon, pounding the table with his fist. **

"But he didn't!" cried Pavarti. "He didn't threaten anybody!"

"**I just —" **

"Uh oh." said Ron quietly so only Hermione could hear.

"What?" she asked.

"Something bad is about to happen." he said.

"Is his Uncle going to-" Hermione began in horror, but Ron cut her off.

"No, I don't think so; look at the toad… she looks happy…"

Hermione paled. Umbridge was looking excited. She had just lost her job, her respect, and her dignity, and she was smiling? Hermione sent a worried look at Harry who was grinning stupidly at Ginny as she giggled at something the twins had just said. Harry seemed happy… but so did Umbridge… the thought made her uneasy.

"**I WARNED YOU! I WILL NOT TOLERATE MENTION OF YOUR ABNORMALITY UNDER THIS ROOF!" **

"Abnormality!" cried McGonagall.

Harry was not listening. Holding hands with Ginny, he was enjoying himself quite immensely.

**Harry stared from his purple-faced uncle to his pale aunt, who was trying to heave Dudley to his feet. **

"**All right," said Harry, "**_**all right**_**…" **

Umbridge was getting impatient. When was something bad going to happen? At the very least, he could trip or get a paper cut or something. She was eager for _something_ to happen; she was waiting for it, waiting for the first moment Harry would feel the pain from the book. She wanted to see his face, wanted to see his confusion. She wanted to see his pain.

**Uncle Vernon sat back down, breathing like a winded rhinoceros and watching Harry closely out of the corners of his small, sharp eyes. Ever since Harry had come home for the summer holidays, Uncle Vernon had been treating him like a bomb that might go off at any moment, because Harry Potter **_**wasn't **_**a normal boy. As a matter of fact, he was as not normal as it is possible to be. **

(A/N: I am going to skip the recap, I don't feel like reviewing his everything that's happened so far)

**The Dursleys hadn't even remembered that today happened to be Harry's twelfth birthday. **

Harry, who had been whispering happily with Ginny, was brought back to Earth with an unpleasant bump. He knew what happened on his birthday that year… uh oh.

"Harry?" asked Ginny, who had watched worriedly as Harry's face morphed from one of joy to one of dread.

"I'm sure you'll find out soon enough." Harry told her miserably.

**Of course, his hopes hadn't been high; they'd never given him a real present, let alone a cake — but to ignore it completely… **

Sirius glared at the book; Harry was twelve years old, and he had never gotten a present from family.

**At that moment, Uncle Vernon cleared his throat importantly and said, "Now, as we all know, today is a very important day." **

Sirius' jaw dropped, as did many of the students'.

**Harry looked up, hardly daring to believe it. **

Remus narrowed his eyes; he didn't believe it either.

"**This could well be the day I make the biggest deal of my career," said Uncle Vernon. **

"Well that was quite rude." said Luna. "He shouldn't rub it in his face like that!"

**Harry went back to his toast. **_**Of course**_**, he thought bitterly, **_**Uncle Vernon was talking about the stupid dinner party**_**. **

Harry's disappointment and loss of hope seemed to slap them all in the face. Couldn't he ever be happy? Couldn't something ever go his way? _Of course not,_ they thought, _because apparently happiness is something unavailable to the Boy Who Lived. _

**He'd been talking of nothing else for two weeks. Some rich builder and his wife were coming to dinner and Uncle Vernon was hoping to get a huge order from him (Uncle Vernon's company made drills). **

"**I think we should run through the schedule one more time," said Uncle Vernon. "We should all be in position at eight o'clock. Petunia, you will be —?" **

"**In the lounge," said Aunt Petunia promptly, "waiting to welcome them graciously to our home."**

"They shouldn't have to plan in order to be polite," growled Mrs. Weasley.

"It sure doesn't come naturally." muttered Harry.

"**Good, good. And Dudley?" **

Nobody wanted to hear about the Dursleys. They knew what they did to Harry, and they hated them for it. Listening to their sorry excuses of lives made them seem more real, all the more threatening to Harry.

"**I'll be waiting to open the door." Dudley put on a foul, simpering smile. "May I take your coats, Mr. and Mrs. Mason?" **

"And at precisely that moment," said George. "I will have the sudden urge to throw up."

Fred snickered along with half the school. "I think I would too."

"**They'll **_**love **_**him!" cried Aunt Petunia rapturously. **

"Nah, they'll want to throw up too." said George confidently.

"**Excellent, Dudley," said Uncle Vernon. Then he rounded on Harry. "And **_**you**_**?" **

"**I'll be in my bedroom, making no noise and pretending I'm not there," said Harry tonelessly. **

All eyes turned on Harry, who was sinking lower in his seat.

"On your birthday?" asked Hermione with tears in her eyes.

"My birthday has never been something for me to be excited about, Hermione." he sighed.

Her lip quivered as she thought of a twelve year old boy who had never gotten any presents from family…

"**Exactly," said Uncle Vernon nastily. **

"Harry, your home life really is horrible." said Luna serenely.

"You're telling me…" Harry grumbled.

**"I will lead them into the lounge, introduce you, Petunia, and pour them drinks. At eight-fifteen —" **

"**I'll announce dinner," said Aunt Petunia. **

"**And, Dudley, you'll say —" **

"**May I take you through to the dining room, Mrs. Mason?" said Dudley, offering his fat arm to an invisible woman. **

"**My perfect little gentleman!" sniffed Aunt Petunia. **

"Did she just say _little_?" asked Dean, mouth hanging open.

"She may be extremely sharp when it comes to spying on the neighbors, but she's always been a bit blind towards her 'ickle dinky duddydums'." said Harry, causing many to laugh.

"**And **_**you**_**?" said Uncle Vernon viciously to Harry. **

Sirius cracked his knuckles. He wasn't sure how much longer he would be able to listen to these horrible people mistreat his godson without torturing them senseless.

"**I'll be in my room, making no noise and pretending I'm not there," said Harry dully. **

"He's making you say it again?" spat Ron in disgust. "You'd think tormenting you once would be enough."

"If only…" sighed Harry. He could think of lots of people who liked to 'torment' him more than once.

"**Precisely. Now, we should aim to get in a few good compliments at dinner. Petunia, any ideas?" **

"They plan their compliments?" asked Susan Bones disbelievingly.

"Well, they don't have much practice of thinking of compliments on the spot." shrugged Harry.

"**Vernon tells me you're a **_**wonderful **_**golfer, Mr. Mason… **_**Do **_**tell me where you bought your dress, Mrs. Mason…" **

"**Perfect… Dudley?" **

"**How about —'We had to write an essay about our hero at school, Mr. Mason, and I wrote about **_**you**_**.'" **

Shock disbelief registered on everyone's faces before they burst out laughing. "That's going a bit far!" laughed the twins.

**This was too much for both Aunt Petunia and Harry. Aunt Petunia burst into tears and hugged her son, while Harry ducked under the table so they wouldn't see him laughing. **

Many frowned as they stopped laughing. He shouldn't have to hide laughter at his own house! They had never known how hard the Boy Who Lived's life was… perhaps if they had known, they would have been a bit nicer…

"**And you, boy?" **

"Harry." growled Ginny, clutching his hand. "His name is Harry."

**Harry fought to keep his face straight as he emerged. **

"Not an easy feat, believe me!" snickered Harry.

"**I'll be in my room, making no noise and pretending I'm not there," he said. **

Sirius actually let out a roar of frustration. "How can you stand it Harry?" he asked. "Hadn't you had enough? I would have been out of that house in seconds!"

"What was I to do? Where would I go, and how?" Harry asked wearily. "But don't worry, I don't put up with it forever… I ran away in third year."

Many people gasped. Sirius looked down, remembering seeing Harry out on the streets with his trunk…

"You don't live there anymore, then?" asked Viola curiously.

"Oh I do." said Harry sadly. "Though I wish I didn't."

"**Too right, you will." said Uncle Vernon forcefully. "The Masons don't know anything about you and it's going to stay that way. When dinner's over, you take Mrs. Mason back to the lounge for coffee, Petunia, and I'll bring the subject around to drills. With any luck, I'll have the deal signed and sealed before the news at ten. Be shopping for a vacation home in Majorca this time tomorrow." **

**Harry couldn't feel too excited about this. He didn't think the Dursleys would like him any better in Majorca than they did on Privet Drive. **

"Can't even be happy about a vacation…" muttered Mrs. Weasley angrily.

"**Right — I'm off into town to pick up the dinner jackets for Dudley and me. And **_**you**_**," he snarled at Harry. **

"Harry…" said Sirius slowly. "You said your Uncle stopped… hurting you… after you got your Hogwarts letter. Was there… ever an exception?"

Harry paled a bit, sinking lower in his chair, something nobody missed.

"**You stay out of your aunt's way while she's cleaning." **

**Harry left through the back door. It was a brilliant, sunny day. He crossed the lawn, slumped down on the garden bench, and sang under his breath: **"**Happy birthday to me… happy birthday to me…"**

Mrs. Weasley started crying. Harry gave her a reassuring smile, but it only made her cry harder. "You're so kind Harry!" she cried. "After all you've been through… you are still one of the nicest most considerate people I have ever met!"

Harry blushed while his friends smiled sadly; it was true.

**No cards, no presents, and he would be spending the evening pretending not to exist. **

"Some birthday!" spat Sirius.

**He gazed miserably into the hedge. He had never felt so lonely. **

Hermione stood up and gave Harry a huge hug, making him blush furiously.

**More than anything else at Hogwarts, more even than playing Quidditch, Harry missed his best friends, Ron Weasley and Hermione Granger. **

She started hugging him even harder. "We missed you too, Harry!" Reluctantly, she let go with teary eyes, and when she saw Harry's red face, she let out a small laugh.

Umbridge rolled her eyes; when was he going to feel some pain?

**They, however, didn't seem to be missing him at all. **

"How could you think that?" asked Ron, dumbfounded. "After all we went through together?"

Harry frowned ashamedly. "I don't know… I'd never had any friends before… I wasn't sure what to think."

"Well, we missed you mate," said Ron, clapping him on the back. "We really did."

"Really," said Ginny smiling, "That's an understatement. He must've written you twenty letters before he decided you needed help."

Harry smiled gratefully at Ron; if him and the twins hadn't come… well, he didn't even want to think about that.

**Neither of them had written to him all summer, even though Ron had said he was going to ask Harry to come and stay. **

**Countless times, Harry had been on the point of unlocking Hedwig's cage by magic and sending her to Ron and Hermione with a letter, but it wasn't worth the risk. Underage wizards weren't allowed to use magic outside of school. **

"See!" said Fudge, angrily. "You _knew_ the rules! And yet you performed a hovering charm that very same day!"

"I _didn't_!" said Harry through gritted teeth. "As I told you before, it was a house elf."

"Lies." said Umbridge in a singsong voice.

Most of everybody ignored her, but Fudge was slightly angry at Amelia; she had no right to fire his employee… well, _technically_ she did, but… it was only a blood quill… they may be illegal, but he was sure Umbridge would never use one unless it was for something extremely important… He sent Umbridge a grateful smile.

**Harry hadn't told the Dursleys this; he knew it was only their terror that he might turn them all into dung beetles that stopped them from locking **_**him **_**in the cupboard under the stairs with his wand and broomstick. **

Sirius banged his fist on the table, knocking over some of the full goblets, making quite a mess, but he didn't even seem to notice in his fury.

**For the first couple of weeks back, Harry had enjoyed muttering nonsense words under his breath and watching Dudley tearing out of the room as fast as his fat legs would carry him. **

**But the long silence from Ron and Hermione had made Harry feel so cut off from the magical world that even taunting Dudley had lost its appeal — and now Ron and Hermione had forgotten his birthday. **

"We didn't… we didn't forget…" said Hermione with wet eyes.

Harry gave her a small smile, "I know."

**What wouldn't he give now for a message from Hogwarts? From any witch or wizard? He'd almost be glad of a sight of his archenemy, Draco Malfoy, just to be sure it hadn't all been a dream… **

Draco's mouth dropped open; he must've been desperate… surely this wasn't pity he was feeling for Potter?

**Not that his whole year at Hogwarts had been fun. At the very end of last term, Harry had come face-to-face with none other than Lord Voldemort himself. **

"Don't remind me…" groaned Remus, slapping a hand over this face.

**Voldemort might be a ruin of his former self, but he was still terrifying, still cunning, still determined to regain power. Harry had slipped through Voldemort's clutches **

"Quite literally…" said Ginny quietly, squeezing Harry's hand for comfort.

**for a second time, but it had been a narrow escape, and even now, weeks later, Harry kept waking in the night, drenched in cold sweat, wondering where Voldemort was now, remembering his livid face, his wide, mad eyes — **

Harry's roommates frowned; they knew just how horrible Harry's nightmares got… it scared them, and they weren't even seeing what Harry was seeing! They only saw how he yelled and thrashed…

**Harry suddenly sat bolt upright on the garden bench. He had been staring absent-mindedly into the hedge — **_**and the hedge was staring back**_**. Two enormous green eyes had appeared among the leaves. **

Ron and Hermione glared; they knew Harry loved the elf, but Dobby had hurt Harry too much for them to forgive him as readily as Harry had.

**Harry jumped to his feet just as a jeering voice floated across the lawn. **"**I know what day it is," sang Dudley, waddling toward him. **

**The huge eyes blinked and vanished. **

"**What?" said Harry, not taking his eyes off the spot where they had been. **

"Good, CONSTANT VIGILANCE!" shouted (I shouldn't even have to tell you) Moody.

Tonks rolled her eyes, "Yes, yes, we know Mad-Eye." she said before continuing.

"**I know what day it is," Dudley repeated, coming right up to him. **

"**Well done," said Harry. "So you've finally learned the days of the week." **

The school erupted in laughter. "Good one, Harry!" cried Fred.

"**Today's your **_**birthday**_**," sneered Dudley. "How come you haven't got any cards? Haven't you even got friends at that freak place?" **

The laughter vanished as quickly as it had come. "Yes he does!" shouted all of Harry's friends furiously.

"**Better not let your mum hear you talking about my school," said Harry coolly. **

**Dudley hitched up his trousers, which were slipping down his fat bottom.**"**Why're you staring at the hedge?" he said suspiciously. **

"**I'm trying to decide what would be the best spell to set it on fire," said Harry. **

Fudge looked triumphant as he opened his mouth.

"I was trying to scare him, Minister, I wasn't actually considering doing magic." said Harry wearily.

**Dudley stumbled backward at once, a look of panic on his fat face. **"**You c-can't — Dad told you you're not to do m-magic — he said he'll chuck you out of the house — and you haven't got anywhere else to go — you haven't got any **_**friends **_**to take you —" **

"He does too!" growled Hermione and the Weasleys.

"_**Jiggery pokery**_**!" said Harry in a fierce voice. "**_**Hocus pocus — squiggly wiggly —**_**" **

Many people laughed amusedly. "'Squiggly wiggly'?" asked Ginny with her eyebrows raised.

Harry shrugged, a grin on his face.

"**MUUUUUUM!" howled Dudley, tripping over his feet as he dashed back toward the house. "MUUUUM! He's doing you know what!" **

**Harry paid dearly for his moment of fun. **

"Oh no…" muttered Sirius, remembering how pale Harry had got when he hadn't answered his question of his Uncle abusing him ever again.

**As neither Dudley nor the hedge was in any way hurt, Aunt Petunia knew he hadn't really done magic, but he still had to duck as she aimed a heavy blow at his head with the soapy frying pan. **

Sirius was on his feet. "THAT COULD HAVE DONE SERIOUS DAMAGE!" he shouted.

"She wasn't really trying to hit me…" said Harry timidly, "She knew I would duck."

"And how, pray tell, would she know that?" asked McGonagall.

Harry's cheeks flushed. "This wasn't the first time she tried."

Sirius rounded on Harry, his expression one of agony, "You told us it was your uncle who-

"I said it was _usually_ or _mostly_ my uncle." Harry said quietly.

"No more lying to us, please?" asked Sirius.

"It wasn't a lie," said Harry crossly. "It just… wasn't the full truth."

Sirius sat back down next to Harry and pulled him into a tight hug. "You need to stop trying to spare our feelings. We want to know."

Harry looked down when Sirius let go of him. "I know… but…" he glanced at Ron and Hermione, "I don't want you guys to worry…"

"We're always going to worry, Harry." said Sirius, "It's just what you do when you care about someone."

**Then she gave him work to do, with the promise he wouldn't eat again until he'd finished. **

Madam Pomfrey started growling under her breath about starvation, and Harry was looking very nervous. Sirius groaned. "What else haven't you told us?"

"I'm sure we'll find out all too soon." he said.

"Are you ever going to give me a straight answer?"

Harry shrugged, and Sirius shook his head; stubborn kid.

**While Dudley lolled around watching and eating ice cream, Harry cleaned the windows, washed the car, mowed the lawn, trimmed the flowerbeds, pruned and watered the roses, and repainted the garden bench. **

Gasps. Dropped Jaws.

"You had to do all that?" asked Hermione in horror.

**The sun blazed overhead, burning the back of his neck. **

Harry rubbed the back of his neck absently, and Umbridge grinned. He hadn't caught on yet, but he would soon. Oh yes… he would soon.

**Harry knew he shouldn't have risen to Dudley's bait, but Dudley had said the very thing Harry had been thinking himself… maybe he **_**didn't **_**have any friends at Hogwarts… **

Hermione burst into tears, and Ron looked slightly hurt.

"Hermione," said Harry quickly, "Ron, I know that it's not true-

"You better bloody well know that it's not true." said Ron.

"It's not that," sobbed Hermione. "It's that you thought this stuff at all… you really thought these things, and there is nothing we can do about it. There is nothing we can do for _anything_ that's happened in the book, because it's already happened!"

"Well…" started Harry, not having any idea what he was going to say.

_**Wish they could see famous Harry Potter now**_**, he thought savagely as he spread manure on the flower beds, his back aching, sweat running down his face. **

Harry grimaced, remembering the pain in his back all too clearly. Quite clearly… Harry shook his head; he was imagining things.

Umbridge's smile widened.

**It was half past seven in the evening when at last, exhausted, he heard Aunt Petunia calling him. **

"Half past seven!" cried Madam Pomfrey. "You hadn't had food all day!"

"**Get in here! And walk on the newspaper!" **

**Harry moved gladly into the shade of the gleaming kitchen. On top of the fridge stood tonight's pudding: a huge mound of whipped cream and sugared violets. A loin of roast pork was sizzling in the oven. **

Ron licked his lips, his stomach growling.

"**Eat quickly! The Masons will be here soon!" snapped Aunt Petunia, pointing to two slices of bread and a lump of cheese on the kitchen table. **

"WHAT?!" shrieked both Madam Pomfrey and Mrs. Weasley.

Harry winced; he was not looking forward to when they found out that he was starved for the next three days…

**She was already wearing a salmon-pink cocktail dress. **

**Harry washed his hands and bolted down his pitiful supper. **

"Oh, Harry, you must've been starving!" cried Hermione.

"No, not really." said Harry quietly.

She shot him a look, but didn't say anything.

Ron and the twins were the only ones who knew Harry had been starved, and even they didn't think it had been that bad.

**The moment he had finished, Aunt Petunia whisked away his plate.**"**Upstairs! Hurry!" **

**As he passed the door to the living room, Harry caught a glimpse of Uncle Vernon and Dudley in bow ties and dinner jackets. **

**He had only just reached the upstairs landing when the door bell rang and Uncle Vernon's furious face appeared at the foot of the stairs. **"**Remember, boy — one sound —" **

"What would he do?" asked Viola in a shaking voice.

"You'll find out." sighed Harry.

Ginny squealed. "You mean you made noise and they caught you?"

Harry didn't bother answering, knowing they would all know quickly enough. He squeezed her hand for added comfort, not knowing that for the next two years at Hogwarts he would be in pain that Madam Pomfrey could do nothing about, that he would have to relive countless horrors…

**Harry crossed to his bedroom on tiptoe, slipped inside, closed the door, and turned to collapse on his bed. The trouble was, there was already someone sitting on it. **

Tonks closed the book. "Harry," she said pleasantly, "I really hate your relatives."

A/N: If you don't already, you guys are really gonna hate Umbridge's guts soon! Well, review please! I'm sorry again for the wait.


	21. Dobby's Warning

A/N: Hello everybody! In answer to a few questions, the binding spell is _not_ removable, emotional pain and hunger will _not_ be included in the pain Harry feels as a result of the spell (I just think that would be difficult to write, and a bit obvious). As always, enjoy!

"I think I'll read, Nymphadora." said Remus.

Tonks' hair turned a violent shade of red. "Remus!" she hissed. "I told you not to call me that!"

"Oh- er- sorry! I forgot!"

Tonks snorted, handing him the book, "Yeah, you _forgot_."

**'Dobby's Warning,' **Remus read, frowning. "Warning? Warning for what?" he turned to Harry, "You don't do something dangerous again, do you?" he asked.

"Oh… well I… um…"

Ron sniggered, "Did you really just ask that? This is Harry we're talking about!"

Harry glared at him and Remus looked nervous again. He had hoped that Harry's second year wouldn't be as hard on his nerves. "Well," he sighed, deciding to take the optimistic view on things, "At least it can't be worse than your first year."

Harry avoided his eyes and rubbed the back of his neck. Ron chuckled as everyone else who saw him paled.

"What the bloody hell is worst than last year?" asked Remus, unable to hold his shock. He could think of plenty of worse things than what Harry had gone through, but nothing the boy should be expected to be able to deal with at the age of twelve.

Harry opened his mouth, but Sirius cut across him. "If you're going to tell us that 'we'll find out eventually' than don't even bother."

Harry closed his mouth, looking slightly embarrassed, because that was, indeed, what he had been about to say.

**Harry managed not to shout out, but it was a close thing. The little creature on the bed had large, bat-like ears and bulging green eyes the size of tennis balls. **

"A house elf?" asked Tonks with raised eyebrows.

"_My_ house elf." grumbled Malfoy, but Viola glared at him, not permitting him to speak. Normally, had anybody else looked at him that way, he would have told them off, but looking into his fellow Slytherin's eyes, he just couldn't bring himself to do so.

**Harry knew instantly that this was what had been watching him out of the garden hedge that morning. **

**As they stared at each other, Harry heard Dudley's voice from the hall. **"**May I take your coats, Mr. and Mrs. Mason?" **

Fred and George mimed throwing up on the floor, and Ginny giggled.

**The creature slipped off the bed and bowed so low that the end of its long, thin nose touched the carpet. Harry noticed that it was wearing what looked like an old pillowcase, with rips for arm- and leg-holes. **

Hermione looked furious, and Ron rolled his eyes, bloody SPEW.

"**Er — hello," said Harry nervously. **

"**Harry Potter!" said the creature in a high-pitched voice Harry was sure would carry down the stairs. **

"Oh no…" murmured McGonagall, clutching her hands together in worry.

"Harry… what happened?" asked Sirius slowly.

Harry was panicking slightly, but he kept his head. "Nothing much." he lied easily.

Ron and Hermione exchanged looks, "'Nothing' he says." whispered Ron.

"As if!" said Hermione. This was one of the things that she was most grateful for that the books gave them, though it was probably what Harry hated most; every time Harry had told her and Ron about the more horrible things he'd been through, she knew he would always leave the more 'drastic' parts out. She wanted to know what her best friend had really gone through… she wanted to understand…

**"So long has Dobby wanted to meet you, sir… Such an honor it is…" **

"**Th-thank you," said Harry, **

Mrs. Weasley smiled.

**edging along the wall and sinking into his desk chair, next to Hedwig, who was asleep in her large cage. He wanted to ask, "What are you?" but thought it would sound too rude, so instead he said, "Who are you?" **

"Always the gentleman." said Ginny, clinging to Harry's side.

"**Dobby, sir. Just Dobby. Dobby the house-elf," said the creature. **

Malfoy grumbled. He had never found out why his father had freed that stupid elf.

"**Oh — really?" said Harry. "Er — I don't want to be rude or anything, but — this isn't a great time for me to have a house-elf in my bedroom." **

"It really isn't…" said Angelina worriedly.

**Aunt Petunias high, false laugh sounded from the living room. **

**The elf hung his head. **

"**Not that I'm not pleased to meet you," said Harry quickly, **

"Don't want to hurt the elf's feelings?" Malfoy sneered; he had never liked that elf.

"No, I didn't." said Harry firmly, and a few girls smiled dreamily. Romilda Vane was batting her eyelashes at him, but much to her disappointment, he did not notice.

**"but, er, is there any particular reason you're here?" **

"**Oh, yes, sir," said Dobby earnestly. "Dobby has come to tell you, sir… it is difficult, sir… Dobby wonders where to begin…" **

"**Sit down," said Harry politely, pointing at the bed. **

"Uh oh." said Malfoy, before cursing himself. Uh oh? _Uh oh? _He refused to believe that he was worried about Harry. He knew what Dobby was like, he had lived with him for years, and asking him to sit down would likely cause a noisy outburst. If Harry's Uncle heard… not that he was worried for Potter, of course… but if his Uncle heard… what would that mean for Harry? Not that he cared… but…

**To his horror, the elf burst into tears — very noisy tears. **

Malfoy winced, and a few people groaned. Couldn't Harry ever catch a break?

"_**S-sit down**_**!" he wailed. "**_**Never**_**… **_**never ever**_**…"**

**Harry thought he heard the voices downstairs falter. **

People were holding their breath. "Guys," laughed Harry. "I'm right here."

"Yeah, but you can live through a lot." said Hermione weakly, thinking of all the pain Harry had to go through. Just because he was sitting there with them didn't mean he hadn't been… she shuddered.

"**I'm sorry," he whispered, **

"Don't apologize!" cried McGonagall. "You were being polite!"

Umbridge rolled her eyes; when was all this sappy crap going to be over? When was Potter brat going to feel the results of the binding spell?

**"I didn't mean to offend you or anything —" **

"**Offend Dobby!" choked the elf. "Dobby has **_**never **_**been asked to sit down by a wizard — like an **_**equal **_**—" **

Hermione shot a glare at Malfoy, who didn't look the least bit ashamed.

**Harry, trying to say "Shh!" and look comforting at the same time, **

A few people chuckled, amused at how concerned Harry was of hurting the elf's feelings.

**ushered Dobby back onto the bed where he sat hiccoughing, looking like a large and very ugly doll. At last he managed to control himself, and sat with his great eyes fixed on Harry in an expression of watery adoration. **

"**You can't have met many decent wizards," said Harry, trying to cheer him up. **

**Dobby shook his head. Then, without warning, he leapt up and started banging his head furiously on the window, shouting, **

"What's he doing that for!" cried a first year muggleborn.

"He spoke ill of his masters and house elves can't-

"Never mind why he's doing it, Hermione!" cried Sirius, a little hysterical, "The book said he's shouting! Harry's relatives will hear!"

Hermione paled. She didn't know what had happened this summer, Harry had only told her about Dobby and Ron coming to 'rescue' him in their Ford Anglia. She was starting to get worried. It seemed very likely that the Dursleys were not going to be pleased with all the racket he was making…

**"**_**Bad **_**Dobby! **_**Bad **_**Dobby!" **

"**Don't — **

Ron shook his head, Harry was pleading with the elf… it was scary when Harry pleaded, because he never begged for anything unless he was absolutely desperate. He risked a glance at his best friend, Harry must actually be frightened of what his Uncle would do to him… Ron shivered at the thought of Harry being scared; whenever that happened, you know the outcome won't be good.

**what are you doing?" Harry hissed, springing up and pulling Dobby back onto the bed — Hedwig had woken up with a particularly loud screech **

"You have the _worst_ luck of anybody I have _ever_ met!" said Lee with wide eyes.

"Trust me," grumbled Harry, "I already know this."

**and was beating her wings wildly against the bars of her cage. **

"**Dobby had to punish himself, sir," said the elf, who had gone slightly cross-eyed. "Dobby almost spoke ill of his family, sir…" **

"**Your family?" **

"**The wizard family Dobby serves, sir… Dobby is a house-elf — bound to serve one house and one family forever…" **

Hermione tutted while shaking her head and tapping the toe of her shoe hard against the floor, not bothering to look discreet. Her annoyance was obvious among those who saw her.

"**Do they know you're here?" asked Harry curiously. **

"No…" growled Malfoy, though Viola couldn't help but notice that he didn't really seem angry at all.

**Dobby shuddered. **

"**Oh, no, sir, no… Dobby will have to punish himself most grievously for coming to see you, sir. Dobby will have to shut his ears in the oven door for this. If they ever knew, sir —" **

"**But won't they notice if you shut your ears in the oven door?" **

Now Malfoy looked slightly uncomfortable. No, they wouldn't notice…

"**Dobby doubts it, sir. Dobby is always having to punish himself for something, sir. They lets Dobby get on with it, sir. Sometimes they reminds me to do extra punishments…" **

"You complete arse!" snapped Hermione at Malfoy, glaring with her arms crossed. Perhaps Malfoy had learned from experience not to mess with an angry Hermione, because he just flinched and turned away.

"**But why don't you leave? Escape?" **

"**A house-elf must be set free, sir. And the family will never set Dobby free… Dobby will serve the family until he dies, sir…" **

Now Hermione was grinning, rather evilly I might add, causing many people to look a tad bit frightened. Dobby was free now, she thought triumphantly.

**Harry stared. **"**And I thought I had it bad staying here for another four weeks," he said. "This makes the Dursleys sound almost human. **

People looked at Harry in disbelief. "I said 'almost'." said Harry quietly.

"You _do_ have it bad staying there!" cried McGonagall. "If I had known…" evidently, whatever she was going to say was not appropriate for the students' ears, because she did not finish.

"Not as bad as Dobby though," argued Harry, and when people continued looking at him incredulously, Harry added, "I've never had to shut my ears in an oven door! That's low, even for my Uncle!"

"'_Even for your Uncle'?_" asked Sirius, his teeth clenched. Harry still hadn't told them directly what Harry's Uncle had done to him, he had been frustratingly vague on the subject. Sirius hadn't pushed him, as he had seen that Harry was extremely uncomfortable and anxious when it was even brought up, but he thought, or rather hoped, that Harry wasn't treated as horribly as Sirius was imagining. The fact that Harry wasn't telling anyone what actually happened made him all the more panicky, and his imagination was running wild to absurd possibilities… at least, he _hoped_ they were absurd.

Harry, as always, quickly changed the subject. "So, Mr. Weasley, did you know your car runs wild in the Forbidden Forest at Hogwarts?" And, as always, Sirius sighed, Harry was successful.

Hermione narrowed her eyes as Mr. Weasley burst into an exciting and rather animated discussion with Harry; Harry was always good at directing the attention away from himself. She'd have to pay closer attention to this.

**Can't anyone help you? Can't I?" **

"Merlin's pants, Harry!" said George.

"You're so… so…" added Fred, though he was apparently unable to find a word amazing enough to describe Harry, so he just sighed.

The teachers were gaining a new respect for the boy.

**Almost at once, Harry wished he hadn't spoken. Dobby dissolved again into wails of gratitude. **

"**Please," Harry whispered frantically, **

Ron frowned, this was starting to make him uneasy. Harry was pleading again…

**"please be quiet. If the Dursleys hear anything, if they know you're here —" **

"Then what?" asked Sirius directing the conversation back to Harry.

"You'll find out." Harry sighed.

Sirius stiffened. "I don't want to 'find out', because that means that whatever it is actually happened! I want you to tell me, please."

Harry wondered if there was a casual light-hearted way to tell Sirius that his Aunt and Uncle liked to starve him and lock him in his room every now and then… thinking of none, he decided to just not answer.

Sirius groaned in frustration. "You'll be the death of me, Harry!"

Harry paled and Hermione and Ron sent Sirius a death glare.

"Sirius!" admonished Remus.

Sirius looked around until he saw Harry's pale face, and he cursed himself. _Idiot! Have you learned nothing about Harry in the past few days? Don't say anything like that around him!_ He wanted to make clear what he meant, that he was only worried, and that it was just a figure of speech, but Remus had already started reading again. Sirius just watched Harry sadly as Ginny rubbed his arm comfortingly.

"**Harry Potter asks if he can help Dobby… Dobby has heard of your greatness, sir, but of your goodness, Dobby never knew…" **

Umbridge scoffed.

Hermione glared at her; she hated that foul evil bitch! She would never forgive her. Never. Not after all she had done to Harry, making him cut open his hand every night, making him miserable... For only the second time in her life, Hermione felt the strong urge to attack, not in defense, but for the savage pleasure and satisfaction of revenge.

**Harry, who was feeling distinctly hot in the face, **

"You modest git." George grinned at Harry, and he grinned back.

**said, "Whatever you've heard about my greatness is a load of rubbish. **

The Hall was silent, and then everyone burst out laughing. They laughed even harder at Harry's red face, quite similar to the one just described to them in the book.

"Rubbish?" asked Fred, gasping for air. "Blimey Harry! Don't you realize all you've done? And just in your first year, too!"

"It wasn't me, really, I wouldn't have been able to-

"Do yourself a favor mate," advised Ron, "Shut up."

Harry glared at him while everybody snickered.

**I'm not even top of my year at Hogwarts; that's Hermione, **

"Ooh, Harry," said Hermione, blushing, "Thank you, Harry, that was really-

"Well you are," said Ron, feeling slightly uncomfortable. "I would've said the same thing if it were me. Everyone knows you're the top of our year."

"Oh, why... thank you, Ron." said Hermione, looking quite confused, yet pleased.

Harry and Ginny exchanged knowing looks.

**she —" But he stopped quickly, because thinking about Hermione was painful. **

Hermione frowned. "I'm so sorry, Harry-

"Don't." said Harry. "I know it wasn't your fault."

She nodded and smiled a little hesitantly, wishing she could have been there for Harry that summer, even if it was just in the small comfort of a letter. She knew though, she thought with a sigh, that a letter was more than just a small comfort to Harry. A letter would mean the world to him after ten years of having never received one.

"**Harry Potter is humble and modest," said Dobby reverently, his orb-like eyes aglow. **

"Well, Dobby has spent about a minute with Harry, and already he knows him to a T." said Neville, smiling. Many people nodded in agreement, and Harry blushed harder.

"**Harry Potter speaks not of his triumph over He-Who-Must-Not-Be-Named —" **

Snape started; this was true... he had never heard the boy brag... he had been thinking him to be an arrogant fool like his father, and yet, not once had he ever heard a smidgen of eccentricity in him, not even in his thoughts, which, thanks to this book, were now all revealed.

"**Voldemort?" said Harry. **

May people cringed, but Harry noticed with pride, not as many as before.

**Dobby clapped his hands over his bat ears and moaned, "Ah, speak not the name, sir! Speak not the name!" **

"**Sorry," said Harry quickly. "I know lots of people don't like it. My friend Ron —" He stopped again. Thinking about Ron was painful, too. **

Ron frowned, he really had missed Harry... really...

**Dobby leaned toward Harry, his eyes wide as headlights. **"**Dobby heard tell," he said hoarsely, "that Harry Potter met the Dark Lord for a second time just weeks ago… that Harry Potter escaped **_**yet again**_**." **

A few people groaned. "Don't remind us!"

**Harry nodded and Dobby's eyes suddenly shone with tears. **"**Ah, sir," he gasped, dabbing his face with a corner of the grubby pillowcase he was wearing. "Harry Potter is valiant and bold! **

"Again, Dobby knows you quite well, Harry." said Neville.

**He has braved so many dangers already! **

Nobody commented as the truth of this statement sank in. Giant trolls... a jinxed broom... a giant three headed dog... man-strangling devils snare... violent chess sets... a deranged Defense against the Dark Arts teacher... and Voldemort himself. They shuddered. They had all, at one point in their lives, wished that they were the famous Harry Potter. They would play games and reenact Harry's victory over You-know-who when they were younger, always wanting to be him. They supposed they had never really realized the fear and danger and responsibility that came with the title... Harry had a lot to bear on his shoulders... more than many full grown wizards had ever had.

**But Dobby has come to protect Harry Potter, to warn him, even if he does have to shut his ears in the oven door later… **_**Harry Potter must not go back to Hogwarts**_**." **

"WHAT?!" shouted Sirius. Staying at Privet Drive was one of the worst things that could happen to Harry. Hogwarts may be dangerous for Harry, but condemning him back to a full time life at the Dursleys was cruel.

**There was a silence broken only by the chink of knives and forks from downstairs and the distant rumble of Uncle Vernon's voice. **

"**W-what?" Harry stammered. **

"That was scary..." muttered Harry, thinking of the panic that had settled in him when he had heard those words. He would _never_ return to Privet Drive if he had the choice. Life without Hogwarts... he couldn't imagine it... actually he could, but he preferred not to because it was so startlingly unpleasant.

**"But I've got to go back — term starts on September first. It's all that's keeping me going. **

The people of the Hall looked at Harry questioningly, and he looked down, not denying the words.

**You don't know what it's like here. **

Sirius shifted uncomfortably. He was getting a pretty good idea... and he didn't like it.

**I don't **_**belong **_**here. I belong in your world — at Hogwarts." **

"I don't know what I'd do without Hogwarts," said Harry, shuddering. "I don't think I could stand a life at the Dursleys if I knew about magic... I'd probably leave... but I don't know where I would go..."

"You'd come to our place of course!" piped up the twins.

Harry smiled gratefully at them, and they returned it.

"**No, no, no," squeaked Dobby, shaking his head so hard his ears flapped. "Harry Potter must stay where he is safe. **

Sirius snorted, as if the Dursleys was safe.

**He is too great, too good, to lose. If Harry Potter goes back to Hogwarts, he will be in mortal danger." **

"Isn't Harry _always_ in mortal danger?" asked Luna as she examined the ceiling.

Ron sniggered and Hermione rolled her eyes, though neither of them denied it, making Sirius groan. He may need a potion for his nerves for the rest of the book... perhaps he'd ask Madam Pomfrey.

"**Why?" said Harry in surprise. **

"**There is a plot, Harry Potter. A plot to make most terrible things happen at Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry this year," whispered Dobby, suddenly trembling all over. "Dobby has known it for months, sir. Harry Potter must not put himself in peril. He is too important, sir!" **

"**What terrible things?" said Harry at once. "Who's plotting them?" **

"And so it begins!" sighed Hermione, remembering that the same, or something similar, had been said at the beginning of Harry's first year.

**Dobby made a funny choking noise and then banged his head frantically against the wall. **

"**All right!" cried Harry, grabbing the elf's arm to stop him. "You can't tell me. I understand. But why are you warning **_**me**_**?" A sudden, unpleasant thought struck him. "Hang on — this hasn't got anything to do with Vol — sorry — with You-Know-Who, has it? **

Ron snorted, "'A sudden, unpleasant thought'?" he asked with amusement. "Really, Harry? Unpleasant? Is that all you consider You-know-who?" Harry reddened, but Ron wasn't finished. "Other wizards admit they're 'terrified' or 'panicked' at the thought of him, but you just find him mildly unpleasant?"

A few people laughed, and Harry turned even redder.

"Oh, be quiet Ron!" said Hermione, though Harry saw her mouth twitching, as if she were trying to resist a smile.

**You could just shake or nod," he added hastily as Dobby's head tilted worryingly close to the wall again. Slowly, Dobby shook his head. **"**Not — not **_**He-Who-Must-Not-Be-Named**_**, sir —" **

"What?" asked Ron, confusion evident in his tone, "But I thought-

Harry quickly covered his best friend's mouth, but the damage was done.

"What?" asked Remus and Sirius faintly. "You have to face him... _again_?"

Harry sent a glare at Ron before reluctantly nodding.

"You're an idiot." said Fred to Ron, as though commenting on the weather.

"Seriously, like, not even joking." added George in the same tone, both he and his twin were smiling pleasantly.

**But Dobby's eyes were wide and he seemed to be trying to give Harry a hint. Harry, however, was completely lost. **

Judging by the looks in the hall, he wasn't the only one.

"**He hasn't got a brother, has he?" Dobby shook his head, his eyes wider than ever. **"**Well then, I can't think who else would have a chance of making horrible things happen at Hogwarts," said Harry. "I mean, there's Dumbledore, for one thing — you know who Dumbledore is, don't you?" **

**Dobby bowed his head. **"**Albus Dumbledore is the greatest headmaster Hogwarts has ever had. Dobby knows it, sir. Dobby has heard Dumbledore's powers rival those of He-Who-Must-Not-Be-Named at the height of his strength. But, sir" — Dobby's voice dropped to an urgent whisper — "there are powers Dumbledore doesn't… powers no decent wizard…" And before Harry could stop him, Dobby bounded off the bed, seized Harry's desk lamp, and started beating himself around the head with earsplitting yelps. **

"Oh no..." said Ginny with a worried look at Harry.

**A sudden silence fell downstairs. **

Many people closed their eyes, as if hoping to make what they heard to disappear along with their surroundings, yet it was quite unsuccessful.

**Two seconds later Harry, heart thudding madly, **

Jaws dropped. What would cause Harry to react like this?

The ones who knew that Harry was abused were all tense. If they touched him... if they hurt one hair on his head...

Sirius' imagination was reeling again; what would his Uncle do? Would he, perhaps, smack him? Would he punch him? Harry had not clarified in what his family had done to him, only that he'd been 'physically abused' and that it was bad enough that people would notice because they only did it on vacations. Sirius did not realize he was shaking until Remus put a comforting hand on his shoulder before reading on.

**heard Uncle Vernon coming into the hall, calling, "Dudley must have left his television on again, the little tyke!" **

"**Quick! In the closet!" hissed Harry, stuffing Dobby in, shutting the door, and flinging himself onto the bed just as the door handle turned. **"**What — the —**_**devil **_**— are — you — doing?" said Uncle Vernon through gritted teeth, his face horribly close to Harry's. "You've just ruined the punch line of my Japanese golfer joke… **

"Such a shame..." said Fred faintly, in an attempt at a joke, but his tone was so tense and full of worry, that it did not work very well.

**One more sound and you'll wish you'd never been born, boy!" **

Harry turned white, thinking of times, before he had gone to Hogwarts, when his Uncle had threatened that very same thing. It had never ended nicely for Harry.

Ginny, noticing this, tightened her grip on his arm, doubting that she would be able to let him go for the remainder of his second year. This was going to be hard... on both of them.

**He stomped flat-footed from the room. **

**Shaking, Harry let Dobby out of the closet. **

Shaking. Harry had been shaking, Ron realized. That meant that the threat wasn't empty. Harry's Uncle had threatened him before, and he had carried through. Ron looked at his best friend. How had Harry kept it from him until this book? How had he been stupid enough not to notice how Harry must've been treated?

Hermione was thinking along the same lines. She wanted to talk to Harry about this, and about the information he kept from them, but he looked so distraught that she knew she wouldn't be able to bring herself to do it, not at the moment at least.

"**See what it's like here?" he said. "See why I've got to go back to Hogwarts? It's the only place I've got — well, I **_**think **_**I've got friends." **

"You do..." said Hermione, but her throat was so tight, she doubted anybody had heard.

"**Friends who don't even **_**write **_**to Harry Potter?" said Dobby slyly. **

"Wait a minute..." said Katie Bell, catching on. "He didn't!" she cried.

"He did." said Harry grimly.

"What?" somebody asked, and Remus read so as to answer him.

"**I expect they've just been — wait a minute," said Harry, frowning. "How do **_**you **_**know my friends haven't been writing to me?" **

**Dobby shuffled his feet. **"**Harry Potter mustn't be angry with Dobby. Dobby did it for the best —" **

"_**Have you been stopping my letters?**_**" **

"**Dobby has them here, sir," said the elf. Stepping nimbly out of Harry's reach, he pulled a thick wad of envelopes from the inside of the pillowcase he was wearing. **

**Harry could make out Hermione's neat writing, Ron's untidy scrawl, and even a scribble that looked as though it was from the Hogwarts gamekeeper, Hagrid.**

"Wondered why yeh never wrote me back, Harry." said Hagrid.

**Dobby blinked anxiously up at Harry. **"**Harry Potter mustn't be angry… Dobby hoped… if Harry Potter thought his friends had forgotten him… Harry Potter might not want to go back to school, sir…" **

"Being friendless at Hogwarts would still be better than Privet Drive!" grumbled Harry.

**Harry wasn't listening. He made a grab for the letters, but Dobby jumped out of reach. **

"**Harry Potter will have them, sir, if he gives Dobby his word that he will not return to Hogwarts. Ah, sir, this is a danger you must not face! Say you won't go back, sir!" **

"**No," said Harry angrily. "Give me my friends' letters!" **

"You could have lied." said George.

"Pish posh!" said Fred. "He doesn't lie to his friends, and he obviously likes Dobby."

Harry frowned. He did lie to his friends... but only to spare them from the horrible truth...

Ron and Hermione noticed Harry's frown and sighed. They would find out everything from the book, but seeing Harry's face, they weren't sure if they wanted to know anymore...

"**Then Harry Potter leaves Dobby no choice," said the elf sadly. **

"What did he do?" asked Sirius when Harry grimaced.

**Before Harry could move, Dobby had darted to the bedroom door, pulled it open, and sprinted down the stairs. **

"Oh no, oh no, oh no, oh no..." Mrs. Weasley was muttering again, and everyone was sitting quite still in anticipation.

**Mouth dry, stomach lurching, **

"You... you're actually scared." said Malfoy in shock.

Harry shuddered. "Of course I was. You would be too, if you lived there..."

**Harry sprang after him, trying not to make a sound. He jumped the last six steps, landing catlike on the hall carpet, looking around for Dobby. From the dining room he heard Uncle Vernon saying, "… tell Petunia that very funny story about those American plumbers, Mr. Mason. She's been dying to hear…" **

**Harry ran up the hall into the kitchen and felt his stomach disappear. **

"That's rather strange, you know." said Luna smiling, oblivious to the tense atmosphere in the Hall.

**Aunt Petunia's masterpiece of a pudding, the mountain of cream and sugared violets, was floating up near the ceiling. On top of a cupboard in the corner crouched Dobby. **

"Merlin's pants..." mouthed Sirius, face pale, unable to form comprehendible words, as his throat and lungs seemed to have stopped working properly.

"**No," croaked Harry. "Please… they'll kill me…" **

Now everyone was looking rather pale and sickly, knowing that Harry probably wasn't exaggerating much.

"**Harry Potter must say he's not going back to school —" **

"**Dobby… please…" **

The entire Hall held its breath.

"**Say it, sir —" **

"**I can't —" **

**Dobby gave him a tragic look. **

"Oh crap..." said Neville in an oddly high voice.

"**Then Dobby must do it, sir, for Harry Potter's own good." **

**The pudding fell to the floor with a heart-stopping crash. Cream splattered the windows and walls as the dish shattered. With a crack like a whip, Dobby vanished. **

Fudge was looking disgruntled. Potter had been telling the truth. It had been a house elf. A _house elf_. He was looking extremely embarrassed, but everyone was too immersed in the story to notice, accept Madam Bones. She was glaring at the Minister, obviously furious with him. She believed him now. The thought was not comforting, not at all, but she believed that You-know-who was back. She was finally convinced.

**There were screams from the dining room and Uncle Vernon burst into the kitchen to find Harry, rigid with shock, covered from head to foot in Aunt Petunia's pudding. **

"You're going to be in so much trouble..." fretted Tonks, shifting constantly in her worry as she was unable to sit still.

**At first, it looked as though Uncle Vernon would manage to gloss the whole thing over. ("Just our nephew —very disturbed — meeting strangers upsets him, so we kept him upstairs…") He shooed the shocked Masons back into the dining room, promised Harry he would flay him to within an inch of his life when the Masons had left, **

So wasn't that proof? Sirius was still shaking. This one sentence had told him what he'd been wanting to know.

"W-within an i-inch of your... life?" squeaked Hermione, terrified for her friend.

Harry shook his head. "Not this time; he decided to take a different approach with my punishment-

"'Not _this _time'?" she squeaked even louder, more hysterical.

Harry frowned, he really needed to choose his words more carefully...

**and handed him a mop. Aunt Petunia dug some ice cream out of the freezer and Harry, still shaking, started scrubbing the kitchen clean.**

**Uncle Vernon might still have been able to make his deal — if it hadn't been for the owl. **

Madam Bones glared at Fudge. She had a pretty good idea what the owl was from.

**Aunt Petunia was just passing around a box of after-dinner mints when a huge barn owl swooped through the dining room window, dropped a letter on Mrs. Mason's head, and swooped out again. Mrs. Mason screamed like a banshee **

Fred stood and dramatically gestured to his twin with a flourish of his hands, "My dear brother would like to give a demonstration."

George grinned. It was their job, after all, to ease the tension. They were the ones who were supposed to be able to raise the spirits of everyone at anytime. Looking at all the distraught and scared faces around them, now would be a good time. "I would be happy to, Fred." George stood up as well. "Would you care to assist?" he asked professionally as he rubbed his hands together.

"Why yes, I think I shall."

So Fred and George, much to the amusement of everyone, began screaming wildly, waving their arms above their head, as they ran around in circles.

Eventually there were some hesitant smiles, and finally laughter broke out.

Fred and George, their job done, sat back down looking rather pleased with themselves. "That was absolutely marvelous, Fred." said George.

"Quite. Absolutely spiffing!" said Fred. "We should do it again sometime."

"Yes, lets." replied George.

Remus let the laughter carry on for a bit, not wanting to ruin everyone's mood by reminding them of Harry's situation, but after a few minutes, he reluctantly continued.

**and ran from the house shouting about lunatics. Mr. Mason stayed just long enough to tell the Dursleys that his wife was mortally afraid of birds of all shapes and sizes, and to ask whether this was their idea of a joke. **

**Harry stood in the kitchen, clutching the mop for support, as Uncle Vernon advanced on him, a demonic glint in his tiny eyes. **

All the relief and laughter that had been there a moment before was gone. There was not a trace of it left, not even from Fred and George.

"Get. Away. From my. Godson." growled Sirius.

"**Read it!" he hissed evilly, brandishing the letter the owl had delivered. "Go on — read it!" **

**Harry took it. It did not contain birthday greetings. **

_**Dear Mr. Potter, **_

_**We have received intelligence that a Hover Charm was used at your place of residence this evening at twelve minutes past nine. **_

_**As you know, underage wizards are not permitted to perform spells outside school, and further spellwork on your part may lead to expulsion from said school. (Decree for the Reasonable Restriction of Underage Sorcery, 1875, Paragraph C). **_

_**We would also ask you to remember that any magical activity that risks notice by members of the non magical community (Muggles) is a serious offense under section 13 of the International Confederation of Warlocks' Statute of Secrecy. **_

_**Enjoy your holidays! **_

_**Yours sincerely, **_

_**Mafalda Hopkirk **_

_**IMPROPER USE OF MAGIC OFFICE **_

_**Ministry of Magic **_

Many glares were sent towards Fudge. "IT WASN'T HARRY!" the school bellowed as one.

**Harry looked up from the letter and gulped. **

"Oh great." said Harry softly, remembering how terrified he had been at that moment.

"**You didn't tell us you weren't allowed to use magic outside school," said Uncle Vernon, a mad gleam dancing in his eyes. "Forgot to mention it… Slipped your mind, I daresay…" **

"What are they going to do?" asked Sirius, but nobody answered.

Ron, Fred, and George, the only ones who knew what had happened to Harry, were glaring fiercely at the book.

**He was bearing down on Harry like a great bulldog, all his teeth bared. "Well, I've got news for you, boy… I'm locking you up… **

"WHAT?" bellowed Sirius, but Remus wasn't finished.

**You're never going back to that school… never… and if you try and magic yourself out — they'll expel you!" And laughing like a maniac, he dragged Harry back upstairs. **

Harry winced, feeling a tight pain in his left forearm. His eyes widened. He finally understood. These pains he'd been feeling, they were not coincidence. He was not imagining things. He was feeling what his book self was feeling. He looked around nervously, hoping nobody had noticed his wince. His Uncle had dragged him up the stairs by his left arm, Harry knew, because he felt the pain as if it were happening right then.

Harry sighed. Nobody had noticed, and the pain subsided as Remus continued, once his Uncle let him go. How long was this going to last? Why was it even happening? _I need to tell someone... Dumbledore... or Sirius, or Ron and Hermione..._ but Harry was starting to panic. What would he have to feel? What was happening? At the moment, he was too scared and freaked out to tell anybody, so he kept it to himself. He would tell them, he thought, just not yet...

Harry did not notice Umbridge's satisfied smile, looking immensely pleased with herself. Seeing his panicked expression when nobody else did (they were all too engrossed in the story), she knew he had figured out what was happening. She savored the feeling. She took a deep breath, enjoying watching the brat struggle.

**Uncle Vernon was as bad as his word. The following morning, he paid a man to fit bars on Harry's window. **

Mrs. Weasley started to cry. "I-I thought you had been joking!" she cried to her three sons. "I didn't know you were serious!"

"We would never joke about something like that." said Fred sternly, and George and Ron nodded.

**He himself fitted a cat-flap in the bedroom door, so that small amounts of food could be pushed inside three times a day. They let Harry out to use the bathroom morning and evening. Otherwise, he was locked in his room around the clock. **

"Sirius, now- now calm down- Sirius!" Remus called.

Sirius was whipping out his wand and he headed for the doors. "I'LL _KILL_ THEM!" he bellowed.

Then something Harry had not expected happened, the rest of Hogwarts stood up. There were various yells of approval at what Sirius was doing as they made to follow him out.

"Slowly though!" called a Slytherin.

"Maybe we can demolish their house first?" someone suggested.

"We should turn them all into animals and sent them to a farm."

"Settle down!" said Dumbledore, his voice magically magnified.

Everyone stopped moving, turning to look at the Headmaster.

"Students, take your seats." his tone left no room for argument; he was radiating a sense of power that made them all instantly obey. "Sirius, you too. But-" he added as Sirius protested, "We will do something about this, don't worry."

Grumbling, unsatisfied, Sirius sat back down next to his godson, crossing his arms.

**Three days later, **

Madam Pomfrey screeched and Mrs. Weasley cried harder. "THREE DAYS!"

"I'm fine, Madam Pomfrey." Harry murmured.

"Hardly!" she retorted, though her tone was softer. "You're a stick potter! A mere twig! It's no wonder you're so skinny..."

**the Dursleys were showing no sign of relenting, **

**and Harry couldn't see any way out of his situation. He lay on his bed watching the sun sinking behind the bars on the window and wondered miserably what was going to happen to him. **

Hermione sighed; she could tell him all she wanted not to brood, but she knew it would be in vain, it's just what Harry does.

**What was the good of magicking himself out of his room if Hogwarts would expel him for doing it? Yet life at Privet Drive had reached an all-time low. Now that the Dursleys knew they weren't going to wake up as fruit bats, he had lost his only weapon. Dobby might have saved Harry from horrible happenings at Hogwarts, but the way things were going, he'd probably starve to death anyway. **

Many shuddered and looked at Harry in shock. "Why do you have such dark thoughts?" asked Angelina, shivering.

"I... well... can you blame me?" answered Harry.

She frowned. "No... I can't."

**The cat-flap rattled and Aunt Petunias hand appeared, pushing a bowl of canned soup into the room. Harry, whose insides were aching with hunger, **

Harry noticed that he was not hungry. Had the pains been coincidence after all? Or did hunger not count in whatever crazy situation he was in? Not that he was complaining, but he was as confused as ever.

**jumped off his bed and seized it. The soup was stone-cold, but he drank half of it in one gulp. **

Ron was looking traumatized. Always having been one to get three full meals a day, he could not imagine eating so little. How Harry could stand it... _well_, he thought gruffly, _it's not as if he had a choice._

**Then he crossed the room to Hedwig's cage and tipped the soggy vegetables at the bottom of the bowl into her empty food tray. **

Nobody could keep the sad smile from creeping onto their faces. Even when he had so little, he was thinking about his owl.

**She ruffled her feathers and gave him a look of deep disgust. **

Harry smiled. He loved Hedwig...

"**It's no good turning your beak up at it — that's all we've got," said Harry grimly. **

"It's all you have... and you give her half of it..." said Mrs. Weasley, sniffling.

**He put the empty bowl back on the floor next to the cat-flap and lay back down on the bed, somehow even hungrier than he had been before the soup. **

Sirius started to chew on his lip. How much more of this could he bare? He thought he had it bad at Grimmauld Place, but he now knew that Harry had it much worse...

**Supposing he was still alive in another four weeks, **

Harry's friends frowned; they hated when he thought like that.

**what would happen if he didn't turn up at Hogwarts? Would someone be sent to see why he hadn't come back? Would they be able to make the Dursleys let him go? **

**The room was growing dark. Exhausted, stomach rumbling, mind spinning over the same unanswerable questions, Harry fell into an uneasy sleep. **

Many sighed. This was horrible... and yet it was in the past, and there was nothing they could do... it was an agonizing thought.

**He dreamed that he was on show in a zoo, with a card reading UNDERAGE WIZARD attached to his cage. People goggled through the bars at him as he lay, starving and weak, on a bed of straw. He saw Dobby's face in the crowd and shouted out, asking for help, but Dobby called, "Harry Potter is safe there, sir!" and vanished. Then the Dursleys appeared and Dudley rattled the bars of the cage, laughing at him. **

"Weird..." someone mumbled.

"**Stop it," Harry muttered as the rattling pounded in his sore head. "Leave me alone… cut it out… I'm trying to sleep…" **

Ron snickered. Harry whacked him for good measure.

**He opened his eyes. Moonlight was shining through the bars on the window. And someone **_**was **_**goggling through the bars at him: a freckle-faced, red-haired, long-nosed someone. **

**Ron Weasley was outside Harry's window. **

"Ron, Fred, George," said Mrs. Weasley, "I want to apologize." The twins' mouths dropped open. "I fully and completely agree with your going to get Harry now... even if you did steal the car." she added grudgingly.

A/N: Whew! That took FOREVER! Siriusly (haha) Hope it was worth it, looking for some good feedback, so review! Oh, by the way, I was just wondering if any of you ever noticed; in my very first chapter, that Umbridge got the books from the Room of Requirement. Nobody said anything, and I'm just curious to know if any of you caught on to the whole seventh floor and the pacing back and forth thinking of what she needed. Well, that's all, hope you enjoyed it!


	22. The Whomping Willow

"Ron, Fred, George," said Mrs. Weasley, "I want to apologize." The twins' mouths dropped open. "I fully and completely agree with your going to get Harry now... even if you did steal the car." she added grudgingly.

"You... you're serious, Mum?" asked Fred open mouthed.

"Like... you're seriously not joking?" asked George.

"You're... you're not angry anymore?" asked Ron hesitantly.

"I forgive you for this time," said Molly, but when she saw their ecstatic faces she frowned at Ron, "I still haven't forgotten that you flew the car to Hogwarts too, mind you!" she snapped.

"Nice knowing you little brother," said Fred, grinning, folding his arms behind his head.

"A real treat, you know." continued George, mimicking his brother's pose.

Ron's relieved look did not disappear, however; in fact, he began grinning widely.

"It is NOTHING to be proud about!" snapped Mrs. Weasley, seeing her son's smug expression, "You could have gotten into so much trouble! And what your father had to go through- WHY are you SMILING!?"

"Oh, come on Mum, by the end of the year, you'll be crying with relief that Harry and I drove that car, it practically saved-

"Hey Ron!" said Harry very loudly, trying to get his best friend to stop talking before he did any damage, but it was too late.

"-our lives." he finished smugly before he noticed Harry smack his head on the table and Sirius and Molly's white faces. He laughed weakly, "Only joking!" he said, not convincing anyone.

"Oh yeah, like they're going to believe that!" Harry growled under his breath, and sure enough-

"What... what do you mean?" Mrs. Weasley asked shakily.

"Nothing to worry about," said Harry forcefully, "As it has already happened. We were fine."

Ron snorted and Harry glared at him; he really wasn't helping.

"I'll read!" Harry announced suddenly.

"But you hate reading about yourself, you said it just-" said Hermione

"Hermione," Harry said through gritted teeth.

She took one quick look at Sirius and Mrs. Weasley who still hadn't regained their color, before she raised her eyebrows at Harry.

He grinned weakly before saying, **'The Whomping Willow,' **

"Wait a minute. Whoa. Whoa. Back up." said Sirius, putting his hands in the air in a stopping motion. "One: how did the car save your lives, and Two: what the HELL are you doing near that tree?!"

Harry had to hold back a smirk as he continued reading; this was the whole reason he had wanted to read in the first place. He was sure the reading would distract them, though looking at the chapter title, he wasn't sure if that was such a good idea any more... but still, he told himself, the Willow was better thing for Sirius and Molly to fret about that giant Acromantulas...

(A/N: Skipping forward a bit into the chapter)

**They reached King's Cross at a quarter to eleven. **

"Cutting it a bit close, aren't we?" asked McGonagall, raising her eyebrows. Then she frowned, realizing it didn't matter if they missed the train, as they had flew a car to school anyways.

**Mr. Weasley dashed across the road to get trolleys for their trunks and they all hurried into the station. **

**Harry had caught the Hogwarts Express the previous year. The tricky part was getting onto platform nine and three-quarters, which wasn't visible to the Muggle eye. What you had to do was walk through the solid barrier dividing platforms nine and ten. It didn't hurt, **

Harry stopped suddenly, his face went white. This time it did hurt... he hadn't yet told anybody about his suspicions about the book. Whatever he felt in the book, he felt for real. He shouldn't have insisting on reading the chapter.

"Harry?" asked Sirius worriedly.

Harry opened his mouth to reply before Snape drawled, "Finally we get to hear about you and Mr. Weasley sneaking away from the platform to fly a car to Hogwarts."

Harry closed his mouth, changing his mind about telling Sirius.

Sirius was fuming. Something was obviously wrong, and Harry had been about to tell him about it... but Snivellus just had to mess it up.

Hermione and Ron looked worriedly at each other: something was up.

**but it had to be done carefully so that none of the Muggles noticed you vanishing. **

"**Percy first," said Mrs. Weasley, looking nervously at the clock overhead, which showed they had only five minutes to disappear casually through the barrier. **

**Percy strode briskly forward and vanished. Mr. Weasley went next; Fred and George followed. **

"**I'll take Ginny and you two come right after us," Mrs. Weasley told Harry and Ron, grabbing Ginny's hand and setting off. In the blink of an eye they were gone. **

"If I had known you two were going to steal the car I would've made you two go first!" Mrs. Weasley snapped.

"It's really a good thing you didn't." muttered Ron.

"**Let's go together, we've only got a minute," Ron said to Harry. **

Ron chuckled lightly, "That's one decision I wish I could take back, you know, just let you go first." he said to Harry, who grinned back, though it looked forced. What was going on?

**Harry made sure that Hedwig's cage was safely wedged on top of his trunk and wheeled his trolley around to face the barrier. He felt perfectly confident; this wasn't nearly as uncomfortable as using Floo powder. Both of them bent low over the handles of their trolleys and walked purposefully toward the barrier, gathering speed. **

Harry stopped reading, staring at the next words in apprehension; this is where he would find out if his suspicions were true. If everything that happened to him in the book happened to him in real life as well... he shuddered. He stared at the words, scared to read them, wondering what would happen if he did...

"Oh gimme that!" said Fred, rolling his eyes, snatching the book from Harry.

Harry hadn't realized how long he had been staring at the book until he looked up to see everyone staring at him in confusion.

**A few feet away from it, they broke into a run and — **

But as Fred read the next line, Harry panicked, "No," he said, "Don't-

But it was too late.

**CRASH. **

Harry gasped and doubled over in his seat, clutching at his ribs. Well... this proved his theory, because that was definitely _not_ coincidence.

"Harry?" Sirius cried.

"M'fine," Harry choked out. He looked up at all the worried faces staring at him. He looked to Sirius, who was looking quite worried. "Er... can I talk to you Sirius?" Harry asked.

Sirius was on his feet in an instant, dragging Harry to the far corner. Harry motioned to Ron and Hermione with his head to follow, and throwing a meaningful glance at a very concerned looking Headmaster and a frightened Madam Pomfrey.

"What the hell was that?" Ron asked Harry quietly. "Are you all right mate?"

"Harry, are you okay? What's going on? What was that?" asked Hermione in a rush.

Only Ginny, still at her seat, noticed the smug look on Umbridge's face. She frowned.

"Potter, what just happened?" inquired Madam Pomfrey.

"Harry, are you all right?" asked Dumbledore.

"Bloody hell Harry, give us all a heart attack, what's wrong?" asked Sirius, clutching his godson's shoulders while looking him up and down, as if looking hard enough would reveal to him what was ailing him.

Slightly taken aback by the amount of concern they were all showing, he stuttered out, "S-Something's wrong... really really wrong... and it's really bad..." Images were rushing through his head, making his breathing quicken. What would he have to feel? Breaking his arm in the Quidditch match? Getting them painfully regrown? The basilisk venom... Merlin this was going to be Hell on Earth.

"What?" they all asked, really panicking now, because when Harry admitted that much, it had to be horrible... truly and terribly horrible.

He looked into each one of their worried faces and and almost couldn't bring himself to tell them. "I... I feel..." he gulped. "I'm feeling whatever the book does."

"Er... whatever the... book does?" asked Ron, confused.

"My book-self!" said Harry quickly. "I feeling everything that-

"WHAT?!" yelled Sirius. Everyone in the Hall looked at them curiously. "Er, sorry," he said to them before turning back to Harry. "Why didn't you tell us sooner? How long has this been going on?"

"Since the beginning of second year." said Harry miserably. "But I only just realized it!"

Remus couldn't stand it; he stood and joined them in the corner to find a nervous looking Harry looking questioningly and pleadingly at a grave looking Dumbledore.

"What's happening to me?" Harry asked, frightened. "Can't you do something?"

"I need to examine the book to be sure..." said Dumbledore.

"Harry..." said Ron slowly. "You do know how many awful things happened to you, don't you?

Madam Pomfrey nodded; that boy got into so much trouble...

Hermione was frantic. "Of course he does! That's why he's so worried.!"

"Hermione," said Harry, trying to calm his friend down, "It's okay-

"NO IT ISN'T!" she shouted, before throwing an apologizing look to the Hall who could all tell that something serious had just happened. "Not it isn't!" she whispered fiercely.

"What's happening? Sirius, what's going on?" asked Remus, not taking his eyes off of Harry.

Ginny couldn't take it anymore. She got up and joined Harry and the others in the corner. "Harry, are you all right?"

Dumbledore held up his hands to calm them down, before taking out his wand and summoning the book right out of Fred's hands. He pointed at it with his wand, muttering under his breath for a good ten minutes while Sirius and Ron filled Remus and Ginny in on what was happening. The book had been stubbornly non responsive to anything Dumbledore had done until finally, a decent sized portion of it began to glow.

Dumbledore looked to be quite ill.

"What is it? What's wrong? Is it really awful? Can you do anything? What are we going to-

"Sirius," Dumbledore said forcefully, silencing the man, "If you are quiet I can tell you." Sirius immediately shut his mouth. The Headmaster then turned to Madam Pomfrey and sighed. "There is nothing you can do."

Harry felt his spirits fall. What did he mean? Would he have to feel everything? The Dementors, the Cruciatus Curse, everything, again? Harry was looking even more sickly than Dumbledore. He swayed on the spot, feeling dizzy.

"What do you mean, Albus?" she asked.

Dumbledore looked at all of them, before reluctantly giving them the bad news. "The book has been cursed by dark magic. It cannot be removed, not even by me. It appears that Harry has been bound to the book. Whatever pain he feels in the book, he will feel in the Great Hall as well- Wait until I am finished Sirius- Removing him from the Hall would not stop the effect. However, there is some good news, no matter how non-encouraging it may be. It appears that the caster was unable to finish the spell, as it stops abruptly..." Dumbledore opened the book and examined where the glowing stopped, "At the end of Harry's third year."

Harry wasn't sure what to feel; relief for not having to feel everything from his fourth year, and an astonishing amount of fear of feeling everything from both his second and third...

Fearing that his legs would soon fail to support him, he shakily slid down the wall that he had taken to leaning on until he was sitting on the floor.

Everyone who had just opened their mouths to start yelling at Dumbledore to demand who had done this looked down and the ghostly pale Harry who was trembling like mad and instantly shut their mouths.

They stood in silence for a moment, not sure how to comfort him. Why did everything always happen to Harry?

Ron just stared at his best friend with his eyes wide in horror, thinking of all that had happened in just those two years alone... He didn't even know where to begin... there was so much...

"Shit." said Sirius.

That pretty much summed it up.

"Shit." Harry said weakly, running his fingers through his messy hair.

Hermione didn't bother telling them off. She was thinking the same thing.

"But... but why isn't there anything I can do?" asked Madam Pomfrey, ringing her hands in worry.

"Harry's pain will only be relieved when it is relieved in the book." said Dumbledore sadly. "Your healing magic will do nothing for him."

Harry couldn't seem to stop himself from shaking. Going through it once was all bad enough, but now... now he knew what was coming... he would be forced to wait for it, and worry about it hours before it ever actually happened... this, in his opinion would be so much worse than when it had really happened, because he would be expecting it.

"Can... can you help me up?" Harry whispered. "I'm not so sure that I can stand right now."

His friends obliged, and they gasped when they felt how much he was shaking. "Harry!" they cried. Swaying on the spot, they were forced to hold him up before he collapsed.

"Don't worry about it..." said Harry weakly. "I'm just nervous..."

"I would be too... after all you went through-

"You're not helping Ronald!" snapped Ginny, and he immediately shut up.

They decided to sit back down on the floor again; Harry really didn't want to be bombarded by questions from the Gryffindors right now. Harry sat in the center, Sirius and Remus directly behind him, Ron and Hermione on either side of him, and Ginny right in front of him, leaning back onto his chest, and looking up at him worriedly. He was still shaking.

Dumbledore went to the front of the Hall and addressed the students while Madam Pomfrey sat returned to her seat as well, white in the face. It took about five minutes for him to explain the situation to the Hall who all just looked up at either him or Harry in horror when he was finished. After hearing what Harry had gone through in his first year, they could only imagine what he had to go through his second year, seeing as it had been even more dangerous than the last...

Nobody wanted to read anymore. If they read... they would be putting Harry through pain... If they read... they would feel responsible.

"Hem hem. I will read next."

Harry felt his blood run cold. It had been her. He could tell by the relish in her voice, it was so obvious that it was her now that she had spoken. She had done this.

"No." Remus stated so forcefully and coldly that everyone shivered.

"Never." growled Ron and Hermione. It appeared that they had come to the same conclusion that Harry had.

"I know a spell," said Minerva quietly. "It will read the book for us." (A/N: the spell automatically stops when somebody comments on the book)

Dumbledore nodded appreciatively. "Thank you, Minerva."

As McGonagall muttered the incantation, everyone sent a worried look at Harry who was surrounded by his friends on the floor. Now the whole Weasley family was sitting with him, as well as a few of his fellow Gryffindors.

This was going to be horrible, they all thought.

Umbridge struggled to keep a smirk off her face; this was going to be fun.

The book began to read itself.

**Both trolleys hit the barrier and bounced backward; Ron's trunk fell off with a loud thump, Harry was knocked off his feet, and Hedwig's cage bounced onto the shiny floor, and she rolled away, shrieking indignantly; **

Harry winced as he felt the impact of the ground. Ron, Hermione, Sirius, Remus, and Ginny all felt their lips tremble; he doesn't deserve this. He doesn't deserve ANY of this!

**people all around them stared and a guard nearby yelled, "What in blazes d'you think you're doing?" **

"**Lost control of the trolley," Harry gasped, clutching his ribs as he got up. **

Everybody looked at Harry worriedly who, though he was still rather pale, didn't even flinch. Ron and Hermione's eyes widened; all those times they suspected Harry had been in pain and he'd denied it, they were about to read about it... though now, they hoped more than anything that he really hadn't been in pain... but that was simply too much to hope for.

**Ron ran to pick up Hedwig, who was causing such a scene that there was a lot of muttering about cruelty to animals from the surrounding crowd. **

"**Why can't we get through?" Harry hissed to Ron. **

"**I dunno —" **

**Ron looked wildly around. A dozen curious people were still watching them. **

"**We're going to miss the train," Ron whispered. "I don't understand why the gateway's sealed itself —" **

"See, Snape!" snapped Sirius, his emotions were on a rollercoaster ride with all the stress. "They didn't sneak off for the car! They had no choice!"

"They had an owl," he sneered.

"THEY WERE TWELVE!"

"Sirius," Remus warned.

**Harry looked up at the giant clock with a sickening feeling in the pit of his stomach. Ten seconds… nine seconds… **

**He wheeled his trolley forward cautiously until it was right against the barrier and pushed with all his might. The metal remained solid. **

**Three seconds… two seconds… one second… **

"**It's gone," said Ron, sounding stunned. "The train's left. What if Mum and Dad can't get back through to us? Have you got any Muggle money?" **

**Harry gave a hollow laughed. "The Dursleys haven't given me pocket money for about six years." **

"They actually gave you money?" asked Angelina, curious.

Harry gave a hollow laugh. "To by something for Dudley, because he was too stupid to count out the change by himself."

"Idiot." she grumbled.

**Ron pressed his ear to the cold barrier. **"**Can't hear a thing," he said tensely, "What're we going to do? I don't know how long it'll take Mum and Dad to get back to us." **

**They looked around. People were still watching them, mainly because of Hedwig's continuing screeches. **

"**I think we'd better go and wait by the car," said Harry. "We're attracting too much atten —" **

Moody nodded, the kid had his head on straight.

"**Harry!" said Ron, his eyes gleaming. "The car!" **

"Oh, so it was your brilliant idea, Weasley?" asked McGonagall sharply, but she was so worried about Harry that her tone must've been a bit off, because Ron didn't even flinch.

_Well at least we won't get into so much trouble, what with everybody worrying about Harry all the time..._ thought Ron, though he would have much preferred hours of his mother's rants and fifty howlers if it could spare Harry the pain of what he was going to be forced to go through.

"**What about it?" **

"**We can fly the car to Hogwarts!" **

"**But I thought —" **

"**We're stuck, right? And we've got to get to school, haven't we? And even underage wizards are allowed to use magic if it's a real emergency, section nineteen or something of the Restriction of Thingy —" **

Fred and George gave weak smiles, but they kept glancing at Harry.

Harry raised his eyebrows at them both, and they looked shocked at Harry's look that said all too clearly 'It's your guys' job to relieve the tension, so what the hell are you holding back for?'

Harry did not want everyone to be constantly worried about him. He wanted things to be at least semi-normal during the reading. The Great Hall needed the twins right about now... to raise their spirits a bit.

Fred and George nodded at Harry. They understood. Of course Harry would be worried about everyone else worrying about him. Only Harry James Potter. They figured they would start out with something small... they had to time it just right though...

"**But your Mum and Dad…" said Harry, pushing against the barrier again in the vain hope that it would give way. **

"You just don't give up, do you?" asked Katie Bell in an admiring voice.

Ron and Hermione grinned. "Never."

"**How will they get home?" **

"**They don't need the car!" said Ron impatiently. "They know how to Apparate! You know, just vanish and reappear at home! They only bother with Floo powder and the car because we're all underage and we're not allowed to Apparate yet…" **

**Harry's feeling of panic turned suddenly to excitement. **"**Can you fly it?" **

"Apparently not." said Snape snidely, "As he crashed it into the Whomping Willow."

Snape and Remus paled.

"That wasn't Ron's fault!" snapped Harry.

"**No problem," said Ron, wheeling his trolley around to face the exit. "C'mon, let's go. If we hurry we'll be able to follow the Hogwarts Express —" **

**And they marched off through the crowd of curious Muggles, out of the station and back onto the side road where the old Ford Anglia was parked. Ron unlocked the cavernous trunk with a series of taps from his wand. They heaved their luggage back in, put Hedwig on the back seat, and got into the front. **

"**Check that no one's watching," said Ron, starting the ignition with another tap of his wand. Harry stuck his head out of the window: Traffic was rumbling along the main road ahead, but their street was empty. **

"**Okay," he said. **

**Ron pressed a tiny silver button on the dashboard. The car around them vanished — and so did they. **

"See, we were careful!" said Ron.

"Then how did you manage to still be seen?" asked Snape.

"It wasn't our fault!" said Ron.

**Harry could feel the seat vibrating beneath him, hear the engine, feel his hands on his knees and his glasses on his nose, but for all he could see, he had become a pair of eyeballs, floating a few feet above the ground in a dingy street full of parked cars. **

A few of the girls who had become rather taken through the reading giggled.

"You have such a strange yet wonderful imagination Harry." said Romilda Vane, batting her eyelashes.

"You really do." Cho butt in, smiling at him charmingly.

Harry was feeling a bit overwhelmed. Ron couldn't help but snort at the sight of his best mate's face.

"Yes, it is rather unique," said Luna matter of factly; she was not taken with Harry like Cho or Romilda, she just hadn't realized that the girls were having a battle over Harry. She stayed oblivious as Ron began to snigger even louder.

Harry, knowing that Luna meant absolutely nothing by it but as a compliment smiled at her, "Thanks Luna."

Ginny bit her tongue to keep herself from laughing at Cho and Romilda's faces.

"**Let's go," said Ron's voice from his right. **

**And the ground and the dirty buildings on either side fell away, dropping out of sight as the car rose; in seconds, the whole of London lay, smoky and glittering, below them. **

**Then there was a popping noise and the car, Harry, and Ron reappeared. **

"**Uh-oh," said Ron, jabbing at the Invisibility Booster. "It's faulty —" **

**Both of them pummeled it. The car vanished. Then it flickered back again. **

"See, it wasn't their fault!" Sirius called to Snape.

"**Hold on!" Ron yelled, and he slammed his foot on the accelerator; they shot straight into the low, woolly clouds and everything turned dull and foggy. **

"**Now what?" said Harry, blinking at the solid mass of cloud pressing in on them from all sides. **

"**We need to see the train to know what direction to go in," said Ron. **

"**Dip back down again — quickly —" They dropped back beneath the clouds and twisted around in their seats, squinting at the ground. **"**I can see it!" Harry yelled. "Right ahead — there!" **

Angelina smiled. "That's our Gryffindor Seeker!"

Nobody bothered to say that Harry didn't play on the Quidditch team anymore. Harry was their Seeker, and that was that.

**The Hogwarts Express was streaking along below them like a scarlet snake. **

"**Due north," said Ron, checking the compass on the dashboard. "Okay, we'll just have to check on it every half hour or so — hold on —" **

**And they shot up through the clouds. A minute later, they burst out into a blaze of sunlight. It was a different world. The wheels of the car skimmed the sea of fluffy cloud, the sky a bright, endless blue under the blinding white sun. **

"I love your descriptions Harry!" cooed Romilda.

Fred and George took their chance. "Oh Harry you are so dreamy!" Fred sighed.

"Oh Harry, I think I'm in love with your descriptions of the clouds!" George said in an airy voice.

"Harry, will you talk about _me_ that way?" Fred batted his eyes at him.

"Oh Harry, take me to Hogsmede, won't you?" begged George.

"No, Harry, take _me_ to Hogsmede! You promised _me_ first!"

The twins began fake slapping each other, each time letting out crazy girly sayings like "OMG!" and giggling loudly.

By the end, everyone was laughing so hard (besides Romilda of course) Harry thought some might keel over from the force of it. Once the twins were finished, Harry mouthed a 'Thank you' to them. They grinned back. They were just getting started.

"**All we've got to worry about now are airplanes," said Ron. **

**They looked at each other and started to laugh; for a long time, they couldn't stop. **

Sirius savored this moment. Harry was happy. He was breaking the rules with his best friend and laughing about it. This was what Harry's life was suppose to be like, not worrying about Voldemort or dragons or being killed...

**It was as though they had been plunged into a fabulous dream. This, thought Harry, was surely the only way to travel**— **past swirls and turrets of snowy cloud, in a car full of hot, bright sunlight, with a fat pack of toffees in the glove compartment, and the prospect of seeing Fred's and George's jealous faces when they landed smoothly and spectacularly on the sweeping lawn in front of Hogwarts castle. **

Ron sighed; if only that had happened.

Lee laughed, "Fred and George wouldn't stop talking about that one for months, 'Our brother' they would say, 'Our brother and Harry Potter crashed a flying car into the Whomping Willow!' they were SO jealous you can't even comprehend it!"

Harry smiled while Ron just sat there looking stumped. Fred and George had bragged about _him_?

**They made regular checks on the train as they flew farther and farther north, each dip beneath the clouds showing them a different view. London was soon far behind them, replaced by neat green fields that gave way in turn to wide, purplish moors, a great city alive with cars like multicoloured ants, villages with tiny toy churches. **

**Several uneventful hours later, however, Harry had to admit that some of the fun was wearing off. **

A few people sniggered.

**The toffees had made them extremely thirsty and they had nothing to drink. **

**He and Ron had pulled off their sweaters, but Harry's T-shirt was sticking to the back of his seat and his glasses kept sliding down to the end of his sweaty nose. He had stopped noticing the fantastic cloud shapes now and was thinking longingly of the train miles below, where you could buy ice-cold pumpkin juice from a trolley pushed by a plump witch. **_**Why **_**hadn't they been able to get onto platform nine and three-quarters? **

"Yeah... why not?" asked Neville, but the trio just smiled mysteriously.

"**Can't be much further, can it?" croaked Ron, hours later still, as the sun started to sink into their floor of cloud, staining it a deep pink. "Ready for another check on the train?" **

**It was still right below them, winding its way past a snowcapped mountain. It was much darker beneath the canopy of clouds. **

**Ron put his foot on the accelerator and drove them upward again, but as he did so, the engine began to whine. **

"Oh dear..." muttered a Ravenclaw.

**Harry and Ron exchanged nervous glances. **

"**It's probably just tired," said Ron. "It's never been this far before…" **

"Actually, muggle items don't work on Hogwarts grounds; if you ever read Hogwarts A History you would know thi-

"Hermione! We don't have to read it because you already know it all!" said Ron as if it were obvious. She flushed.

**And they both pretended not to notice the whining growing louder and louder as the sky became steadily darker. **

**Stars were blossoming in the blackness. Harry pulled his sweater back on, trying to ignore the way the windshield wipers were now waving feebly, as though in protest. **

"**Not far," said Ron, more to the car than to Harry, "not far now," and he patted the dashboard nervously. **

**When they flew back beneath the clouds a little while later, they had to squint through the darkness for a landmark they knew. **

"_**There**_**!" Harry shouted, making Ron and Hedwig jump. **"**Straight ahead!" **

**Silhouetted on the dark horizon, high on the cliff over the lake, stood the many turrets and towers of Hogwarts castle. **

"What a sight that must've been..." Viola murmured longingly. She would love to paint a picture of the castle... she was quite the artist.

**But the car had begun to shudder and was losing speed. **"**Come on," Ron said cajolingly, giving the steering wheel a little shake, "nearly there, come on —" The engine groaned. Narrow jets of steam were issuing from under the hood. Harry found himself gripping the edges of his seat very hard as they flew toward the lake. **

**The car gave a nasty wobble. Glancing out of his window, Harry saw the smooth, black, glassy surface of the water, a mile below. Ron's knuckles were white on the steering wheel. The car wobbled again. **

"Imagine if we had crashed into the lake instead of the tree," Harry said thoughtfully.

Everybody groaned. "Harry! We did not need to hear that!"

"You probably both would have drowned!"

"**Come on," Ron muttered. They were over the lake — the castle was right ahead — Ron put his foot down. There was a loud clunk, a splutter, and the engine died completely. **

"**Uh-oh," said Ron, into the silence. **

Malfoy snorted. They were falling from hundreds of feet in the sky towards the ground and all they can say is 'Uh-oh'.

**The nose of the car dropped. They were falling, gathering speed, heading straight for the solid castle wall. **

Everyone gasped and then held their breath.

"_**Noooooo!" **_**Ron yelled, swinging the steering wheel around; they missed the dark stone wall by inches as the car turned in a great arc, soaring over the dark greenhouses, then the vegetable patch, and then out over the black lawns, losing altitude all the time. **

There was silence.

"The impact of that would have killed you both." Moody stated gruffly.

"Thanks for telling us that." said Sirius weakly, breathing hard. "That's something I really wanted to hear at the moment. Thanks. Thanks a lot."

**Ron let go of the steering wheel completely and pulled his wand out of his back pocket — **

"**STOP! STOP!" he yelled, whacking the dashboard and the windshield, but they were still plummeting, the ground flying up toward them — **

"**WATCH OUT FOR THAT TREE!" Harry bellowed, lunging for the steering wheel, **

"What were you doing Ron?" Neville asked in disbelief.

Ron flushed.

**but too late — CRUNCH. **

**With an earsplitting bang of metal on wood, they hit the thick tree trunk and dropped to the ground with a heavy jolt. **

Harry caught his breath as the wind got knocked out of him and he got a throbbing pain on his head. He wasn't able to suppress the groan of pain that escaped his lips. His eyes were closed, as he now had a massive headache.

Everyone looked at him worriedly. Madam Pomfrey stood up, but then remembered what Dumbledore had said about her magic not being able to help, and she reluctantly sat back down. She had never felt so helpless.

"You okay, mate?" asked Ron.

"M'fine." Harry mumbled.

**Steam was billowing from under the crumpled hood; Hedwig was shrieking in terror; a golfball-size lump was throbbing on Harry's head where he had hit the windshield; **

Ron shook his head, exasperated, "I thought you just said were fine!"

Sirius pulled his godson back into a hug.

**and to his right, Ron let out a low, despairing groan. **

"**Are you okay?" Harry said urgently. **

Everyone looked at Harry. "So, let me get this straight." said Viola slowly. "You whack your head on the windshield, get a golfball sized lump, and ask if Ron is okay?"

Harry was rubbing his head where there was, indeed, a rather large lump. "Yes." he stated. Short and simple.

The Weasleys beamed at him, and Ron couldn't hide a smile either. Harry was his best friend in the whole world.

"**My wand," said Ron, in a shaky voice. "Look at my wand —" **

**It had snapped, almost in two; the tip was dangling limply, held on by a few splinters. **

"You said you snapped it while trying to find Ginny!" cried Mrs. Weasley. "You didn't say-

"I wasn't going to tell you I needed a new wand after that stunt!" cried Ron like the idea was crazy. "You were already going to kill me for stealing the car!"

Mrs. Weasley frowned... had she been too hard on them? After reading it from their point of view... but it really was a stupid thing they had done... they had almost died... but Ron said that the car saved their lives later somehow... she sighed; she wasn't sure what to think anymore.

**Harry opened his mouth to say he was sure they'd be able to mend it up at the school, but he never even got started. At that very moment, something hit his side of the car with the force of a charging bull, sending him lurching sideways into Ron, just as an equally heavy blow hit the roof. **

Harry's mouth dropped open in a silent whimper as he closed his eyes again and rubbed his shoulder.

Ron frowned; he hadn't known Harry had been so beat up during the crash... he hadn't let on... Here Harry was, worrying about him when he was in pain, while he, Ron, had failed to notice or even acknowledge that Harry might be hurt... some friend he was.

Hermione's eyes were teary. This was nothing. There was so much more to come... Harry was going to be feeling so much more of this... and it scared her. She was petrified half the year; she didn't know some of what had happened. Sure, Ron and Harry had told her what went on, but they had most likely left out the more horrifying moments, which were the moments she was worrying about now.

"**What's happen —?" **

**Ron gasped, staring through the windshield, and Harry looked around just in time to see a branch as thick as a python smash into it. The tree they had hit was attacking them. Its trunk was bent almost double, and its gnarled boughs were pummelling every inch of the car it could reach. **

"**Aaargh!" said Ron as another twisted limb punched a large dent into his door; the windshield was now trembling under a hail of blows from knuckle-like twigs and a branch as thick as a battering ram was pounding furiously on the roof, which seemed to be caving in. **

Every impact jolted Harry with new pains. Now that he wasn't actually scared for his life, he had nothing distracting him from how painful this really had been.

He really wasn't looking forward to Quidditch... or the Chamber... or the Dementors... or, well, you get the point.

"**Run for it!" Ron shouted, throwing his full weight against his door, but next second he had been knocked backward into Harry's lap by a vicious uppercut from another branch. **

"**We're done for!" he moaned as the ceiling sagged, but suddenly the floor of the car was vibrating — the engine had restarted. **

Eyebrows raised.

"_**Reverse**_**!" Harry yelled, and the car shot backward; the tree was still trying to hit them; they could hear its roots creaking as it almost ripped itself up, lashing out at them as they sped out of reach.**

"**That," panted Ron, "was close. Well done, car —" **

Now that the danger was over, a few people sniggered feebly at Ron's 'well done, car'.

**The car, however, had reached the end of its tether. With two sharp clunks, the doors flew open and Harry felt his seat tip sideways: Next thing he knew he was sprawled on the damp ground. **

Harry rubbed his shoulder again as he felt the impact. This really sucked. Was he really going to feel every little thing? Even things as trivial as falling on the ground?

**Loud thuds told him that the car was ejecting their luggage from the trunk; Hedwig's cage flew through the air and burst open; she rose out of it with an angry screech and sped off toward the castle without a backward look. **

**Then, dented, scratched, and steaming, the car rumbled off into the darkness, its rear lights blazing angrily. **

"**Come back!" Ron yelled after it, brandishing his broken wand. "Dad'll kill me!" **

"No, that's Mum's job." said Fred confidently, looking at his fingernails.

"Yeah, see you in the afterlife little brother!" added George.

**But the car disappeared from view with one last snort from its exhaust. **

"**Can you **_**believe **_**our luck?" said Ron miserably, bending down to pick up Scabbers. "Of all the trees we could've hit, we had to get one that hits back." **

(I'm ending the chapter here)

"That would be your luck." said Angelina, shaking her head. "Well, Harry's luck. Ron, you probably would have been perfectly fine if Harry hadn't been with you."

Harry grinned sheepishly. "She's probably right."

"Don't you go grinning your way out of this!" Sirius said suddenly. "How are you?"

"I'm f-

"DON'T you DARE say you're FINE!" he yelled. "I just read about you getting pummeled by that tree-

"Ron was too!" said Harry.

"Yeah, but he didn't just relive it, did he?" asked Sirius through clenched teeth.

"He's got a point." said Ron, shrugging.

"Well I _am_ fine." said Harry stubbornly.

"Yeah, and I'm a hippogriff." growled Sirius.

A/N: Thank you all, and good night! ;) Oh yeah, please review, I want to know if you guys like how the bonding spell is working out.


	23. The Rogue Bludger

A/N: I know I skipped a few chapters here, but I've been really excited for this chapter and I think it turned out nice; so please review~

"Sirius," Harry sighed, "Even if I weren't fine, which I am," he added quickly, "There'd be nothing anyone could do about it... so you... you uh..." he hesitated, "You'd better get used to it real quick."

"What! Why?" Sirius asked quickly, narrowing his eyes.

"Well... this isn't exactly my safest year at Hogwarts..."

Ron snorted into his pudding (where did he even get that?) before saying, "Hardly. In fact, I'd say... first year was your safest."

Sirius blanched. "But... but... but your first year was horrible!" Harry chuckled quietly to himself. "Stop laughing! If your first year is anything to go by... Merlin I thought these books were a good idea at first... I'm getting a migraine... I'm already going to have nightmares for the rest of my life..."

Meanwhile, Hermione and Ron had made their way over to McGonagall. "It was Umbridge." they said without any hesitation.

Minerva gave a sharp glace at said teacher to make sure she hadn't heard before hissing at the two students, "Do keep your voices down!"

"But we know it was her!" said Hermione.

"Yeah, just look at her!" added Ron helpfully.

"The way she keeps smiling-

"Ginny noticed it too-

"She's had it out for Harry all year-

"Especially now since he got her fired-

"We reckon she did it-

"More than reckon, we know she did it-

"Not to mention, she's an evil cow-

"She'd do in her own mother if-

"Weasley!" said Minerva, looking flustered. "Granger! Hold your tongues!"

Ron and Hermione looked outraged. "But we know it was her Professor!" they said.

"She cursed the book, I know she did!" said Hermione.

"I believe you." said McGonagall.

"No, no, no!" said Ron, frustrated, "You don't understand, that bast-... you- er- you believe us?"

"Yes, Weasley, I do. And I will not have that language coming out of your mouth!"

Ron gulped. "Yes Professor."

"Well can't you do something?" asked Hermione, throwing a worried glance behind her at Harry, who was still arguing with Sirius about how he was fine. She fought the urge to roll her eyes.

McGonagall cast another glance at Umbridge before lowering her voice and looking at her students very seriously. "That spell on the book is dark magic." she said quietly. "Dumbledore has his suspicions... and if he is right, than Umbridge didn't do it herself. The Headmaster is usually right about his kind of thing... and if this is so, I don't think we can get accuse Umbridge of anything."

"But... but what about Veritaserum! We could use that again-

"No, Weasley, we can't. We have to have ample proof to guide our suspicions for Veritaserum to come into play. Last time we had Potter's hand along with his word and you two as witnesses, now we have a cursed book with nothing to go on. I'm sorry Weasley... but there is nothing we can do."

Ron looked furious, but not at Minerva. "That... that... that evil..." he could not even finish. He took a deep breath to calm himself down. "Harry's just been through so much... what she did was beyond cruel... I hate her... And she's getting away with it!"

Now McGonagall looked angry. "Do use your brains Weasley." she snapped, though not unkindly. "She will not get away with it. She did a horrible thing, and she is not going to get off without so much as a sentence in Azkaban. That's more than she deserves."

"Damn right." mumbled Ron.

"We'll get her, Weasley. We just... need more evidence."

"Yeah... well, good." said Ron.

Hermione nodded appreciatively. "Thank you Professor."

McGonagall gave them one of her rare smiles, but as her eyes wandered to Harry, her expression turned somber. "Do keep an eye on Potter, won't you?"

Ron's jaw dropped; she sounded... as if she were worried.

"Will do, Professor." said Hermione, also looking sadly at her friend.

"Of course," said Ron, snapping out of his shock. "I've made the mistake of leaving him before... I'm never going to do it again. I've learned my lesson."

When Ron and Hermione rejoined Harry, who was currently telling Sirius to "lay off!", Dumbledore cleared his throat. The Hall fell silent, and everyone turned to look at him.

"I think we are ready to continue the reading." he said.

Harry turned a bit paler. Ginny took his hand and gave him a reassuring squeeze.

**'The Rogue Bludger.' **The book read.

"Whoa. Whoa. Whoa." said Dean. "We're already at your first Quidditch match?"

Sirius' face brightened. "Brilliant! I love Quidditch!"

Hermione and Ron groaned, and Harry was looking very white.

Sirius' face instantly fell. "What happened?"

"Hold on..." said Bill Weasley, "What have we missed?"

"Oh, you know, the usual for the Trio," said Fred, pretending to examine his fingernails.

"Top secret Chamber gets opened," said George.

"Mrs. Norris gets petrified," added Fred.

"Harry, Ron, and Hermione here were found at the scene of the crime,"

"Snape still hates Harry, you know, like always."

"P-Petrified? W-What? Who?" Remus stuttered out.

Neville looked thoughtful. "We never found out."

Ginny unconsciously grasped Harry's hand tighter, while all the Weasleys looked absolutely furious.

"Oh you'll find out." growled Ron.

"You know," said Lupin, "I don't think I want to know anymore."

Harry grimaced. "Well if we keep reading these books you're going to find out."

(A/N: I skipped the beginning of this chapter)

**Harry woke early on Saturday morning and lay for a while thinking about the coming Quidditch match. **

"WOO! QUIDDITCH!" shouted Sirius enthusiastically, but everyone who had been at this particular match were wringing their hands nervously.

Harry shifted uncomfortably, wanting very much to leave the room... but Dumbledore had said that leaving the room would not stop the pain, and Harry wanted to know when to expect it. It would be horrible to be up in the Gryffindor common room without knowing when his arm was going to break.

**He was nervous,**

Ron furrowed his eyebrows for a moment, looking thoughtful. "You... you actually get nervous for Quidditch?"

"Of course I do, Ron!" said Harry. "Why on Earth wouldn't I?"

"Maybe because you're the greatest bloody Quidditch Seeker in a century!" piped in Neville.

"I still get nervous..." said Harry, not liking the fact that everyone seemed to think he was fearless and invincible.

"You certainly have good reason to," said Madam Pomfrey, "The number of times I've had you in the Hospital Wing for a Quidditch injury, I swear!"

"Those usually aren't normal Quidditch injuries, to be fair." said Fred.

"Dementors... cursed brooms-

"I didn't go to the Hospital Wing for that one!" said Harry quickly.

"Yeah, yeah." said George, rolling his eyes. "It was only You-Know-Who's evil servant trying to kill you. Nothing to sweat about."

Ron snickered while Harry just glared at them.

**mainly at the thought of what Wood would say if Gryffindor lost, **

"You're Harry Potter." grumbled the Ravenclaw Quidditch captain, "You never lose if the game is fair. It should be considered cheating to have you on a team."

**but also at the idea of facing a team mounted on the fastest racing brooms gold could buy. **

Harry grinned; thinking of his Firebolt, but his face fell when he remembered where it was.

Fred and George exchanged significant looks. They stood up abruptly. "Professor Dumbledore, Sir." they said. "We have to use the bathroom."

"Both of you?" asked Dumbledore amusedly.

"Yes." they said without fault. "We're twins, our bladders are relatively similar."

"You can wait to the end of the chapter-

But the twins interrupted the Minister of Magic, "We really have to pee!" "Yeah, super super bad!"

"Fudge, surely you can allow them to use the lavatory?" said Dumbledore with the faintest trace of a smile.

Grumbling under his breath, Fudge nodded, and the twins sped out of the Hall.

**He had never wanted to beat Slytherin so badly. After half an hour of lying there with his insides churning, **

"Bloody hell Harry, you're worse than Ron!" someone giggled, making Ron turn beat red, though it did make him feel a tiny bit better, knowing that Harry had before-game-nerves too.

**he got up, dressed, and went down to breakfast early, where he found the rest of the Gryffindor team huddled at the long, empty table, all looking uptight and not speaking much. **

**As eleven o'clock approached, the whole school started to make its way down to the Quidditch stadium. It was a muggy sort of day with a hint of thunder in the air. Ron and Hermione came hurrying over to wish Harry good luck as he entered the locker rooms. The team pulled on their scarlet Gryffindor robes, then sat down to listen to Wood's usual pre-match pep talk. **

Angelina shook her head exasperatedly, "I hardly call them pep talks... George and I renamed them: Super-uber-boring-not-very-reassuring-talks-of-death."

Harry chuckled amusedly. "Is that what they're calling them now?" he asked.

"**Slytherin has better brooms than us," he began. "No point denying it. But we've got better people on our brooms. **

The Slytherins grumbled while Sirius cheered extremely loud.

**We've trained harder than they have, we've been flying in all weathers —"("Too true," muttered George Weasley. "I haven't been properly dry since August") "**

Angelina shook her head happily, those Weasley twins...

— **and we're going to make them rue the day they let that little bit of slime, Malfoy, buy his way onto their team." **

Neville was laughing, "You know, I might join the Quidditch team just for the... what did Angelina call them? The Super-uber-boring-not-very-reassuring-talks-of-death."

**Chest heaving with emotion, **

"That boy..." Minerva mumbled under her breath. "Never saw anything accept Qudditch in his eyes."

**Wood turned to Harry. **"**It'll be down to you, Harry, to show them that a Seeker has to have something more than a rich father. Get to that Snitch before Malfoy or die trying, **

"He did NOT just say that to Potter!" cried Minerva in outrage.

Molly Weasley cast a nervous glance at Harry who was looking rather nervous.

Angelina looked mutinous. "We were all ready to kill him for that... especially after what happened..."

"What... what happened?" asked Sirius shakily, losing his excitement for his favorite sport.

"I'm sure you're about to see all to clearly what happened." she said, looking at Harry pointedly.

Harry gulped. He wasn't sure what he was more nervous about; breaking his arm, or re-growing his bones...

**Harry, because we've got to win today, we've got to." **

"**So no pressure, Harry" said Fred, winking at him. **

**As they walked out onto the pitch, a roar of noise greeted them; mainly cheers, because Ravenclaw and Hufflepuff were anxious to see Slytherin beaten, but the Slytherins in the crowd made their boos and hisses heard, too. Madam Hooch, the Quidditch teacher, asked Flint and Wood to shake hands, which they did, giving each other threatening stares and gripping rather harder than was necessary. **

Angelina grimaced; if there was one thing she didn't like about being Quidditch Captain, it was the before-the-match handshakes...

"**On my whistle," said Madam Hooch. "Three… two… one…" **

**With a roar from the crowd to speed them upward, the fourteen players rose toward the leaden sky. Harry flew higher than any of them, squinting around for the Snitch. **

"**All right there, Scarhead?" yelled Malfoy, shooting underneath him as though to show off the speed of his broom. **

Dean and Seamus snorted. "You need some new material Malfoy."

"Scarhead? Are you serious? So unoriginal!" laughed Lee.

Malfoy felt his face go red, but there was a strange swooping sensation in his stomach when he saw Viola laughing at him too.

"You idiot, Draco!" she laughed.

**Harry had no time to reply. At that very moment, a heavy black Bludger came pelting toward him; he avoided it so narrowly that he felt it ruffle his hair as it passed. **

Many people gasped, though none louder than Sirius. "That was too close for comfort." he said quietly.

"It gets closer." winced Ron.

"**Close one, Harry!" said George, streaking past him with his club in his hand, ready to knock the Bludger back toward a Slytherin. Harry saw George give the Bludger a powerful whack in the direction of Adrian Pucey, but the Bludger changed direction in midair and shot straight for Harry again. **

Remus and Sirius went pale. "It's not supposed to do that..." said Remus.

"Of course it's not!" said Sirius, slightly hysterical. "But this is Harry we're talking about, isn't it? So of course Quidditch has to be life threatening to him!"

"I didn't die..." said Harry quietly.

"That's right. And you're not going to." Everyone around him said this together.

Harry did not answer. Wasn't that too much to ask for? He wanted to live, he really did. He hoped he would. But did he believe it?

Did he...?

He wanted to... he dearly wanted to... but...

**Harry dropped quickly to avoid it, and George managed to hit it hard toward Malfoy. **

**Once again, the Bludger swerved like a boomerang and shot at Harry's head. **

**Harry put on a burst of speed and zoomed toward the other end of the pitch. He could hear the Bludger whistling along behind him. What was going on? Bludgers never concentrated on one player like this; it was their job to try and unseat as many people as possible… **

"This isn't normal... this isn't normal..." Mrs. Weasley was chanting in panic.

Ginny had such a death grip on Harry that he couldn't seem to enjoy it. "Ginny-" he gasped, "Can't... breathe..."

She squealed as she let him go, "Harry! I am so sorry!"

"I'm fine, really." said Harry.

Ron snorted, and Hermione cracked a smile.

**Fred Weasley was waiting for the Bludger at the other end. Harry ducked as Fred swung at the Bludger with all his might; the Bludger was knocked off course. **

"**Gotcha!" Fred yelled happily, but he was wrong; as though it was magnetically attracted to Harry, the Bludger pelted after him once more and Harry was forced to fly off at full speed. **

Harry couldn't stand it. He couldn't stand sitting here, waiting, without the adrenaline of Quidditch to keep him moving... without the ignorance of not knowing what was to come. He knew he was going to break his arm... and sitting here, waiting for it... made it ten times worse.

**It had started to rain; Harry felt heavy drops fall onto his face, splattering onto his glasses. He didn't have a clue what was going on in the rest of the game until he heard Lee Jordan, who was commentating, say, "Slytherin lead, sixty points to zero.' **

**The Slytherins' superior brooms were clearly doing their jobs, and meanwhile the mad Bludger was doing all it could to knock Harry out of the air. **

"You must be a superb flyer, Harry." said Charlie Weasley in awe. "A bludger is difficult to avoid at the best of times, and here it is, targeting only you, and you still manage to stay on your broom..."

**Fred and George were now flying so close to him on either side that Harry could see nothing at all except their flailing arms and had no chance to look for the Snitch, let alone catch it. **

"Here's Harry Potter," said Neville smiling faintly, "With a bludger trying to murder him, and all he's worrying about is catching the snitch."

Harry flushed.

"**Someone's — tampered — with — this — Bludger —" Fred grunted, swinging his bat with all his might at it as it launched a new attack on Harry. **

"Why does everything always happen to _you_?" asked Sirius in a whining sort of voice.

"Er... because it's _me_." said Harry.

Ron nodded thoughtfully. "Good point, Harry."

"No!" cried Sirius, "It is _not_ a good point! That's a horrible, stupid point!"

Harry bit his lip. This was hard enough without Sirius fretting over every little thing...

"**We need time out," said George, trying to signal to Wood and stop the Bludger breaking Harry's nose at the same time. **

**Wood had obviously got the message. Madam Hooch's whistle rang out and Harry, Fred, and George dived for the ground, still trying to avoid the mad Bludger. **

Charlie rounded on the teachers. "How come none of you did anything?"

McGonagall narrowed her eyes. "We couldn't. They would have had to forfeit... something Wood would never ever do."

"Never, ever, ever, ever, ever, ever, ever-

"Yeah, I get it Harry." sighed Charlie.

"And neither would I." said Harry in a dignified sort of way.

"Of course not..." moaned Sirius.

"**What's going on?" said Wood as the Gryffindor team huddled together, while Slytherins in the crowd jeered. "We're being flattened. Fred, George, where were you when that Bludger stopped Angelina scoring?" **

"**We were twenty feet above her, stopping the other Bludger from murdering Harry, Oliver," said George angrily. **

Mr. Weasley raised his eyebrows. It seemed that Harry could get the twins to do something nobody else had ever managed to do; be serious. Now that he thought about it... Arthur could not recall one time that Fred and George had ever pranked Harry. This, he had to admit, was freakishly odd; as they never passed up the opportunity to prank somebody, especially not someone they knew well... He would have to ask them about that when they got back.

Come to think of it... shouldn't they be done in the bathroom by now?

"**Someone's fixed it — it won't leave Harry alone. It hasn't gone for anyone else all game. The Slytherins must have done something to it." **

"**But the Bludgers have been locked in Madam Hooch's office since our last practice, and there was nothing wrong with them then…" said Wood, anxiously. Madam Hooch was walking toward them. Over her shoulder, Harry could see the Slytherin team jeering and pointing in his direction. **

"**Listen," said Harry as she came nearer and nearer, **

"And now he's going to tell everyone to leave him alone." Hermione sighed.

"Well, it's a good thing they did, or I wouldn't have caught the snitch!" argued Harry.

"Yes, but you also wouldn't have been..." she broke off as she saw Sirius staring at her curiously and almost desperately. "Er... never mind."

"Oh come on!" he groaned.

"Wait." said Charlie, wide eyed. "You said you caught the snitch?" he asked. Harry nodded. "With a bludger trying to take your head off?" Harry nodded again. "With no beaters protecting you whatsoever?" At Harry's third nod, Charlie shook his head in something like awe. "I don't want to play you anymore. I'd thought maybe I'd want a match against you... but I realize now that I will embarrass myself beyond comprehension."

Ron rolled his eyes. "Anyone who plays him looks embarrassing." he said to his older brother. "We've all just learned to live with it."

**"with you two flying around me all the time the only way I'm going to catch the Snitch is if it flies up my sleeve. Go back to the rest of the team and let me deal with the rogue one." **

"It'll take your head off!" cried Sirius.

"**Don't be thick," said Fred. "It'll take your head off." **

"EXACTLY!" said Sirius. "Quidditch isn't supposed to be this dangerous..."

**Wood was looking from Harry to the Weasleys. **

"I swear Wood's brain is the size of a snitch!" said McGonagall. As much as she had wanted Gryffindor to win, she would rather not have one of her favorite students killed...

"**Oliver, this is insane," said Alicia Spinnet angrily. "You can't let Harry deal with that thing on his own. Let's ask for an inquiry…" **

"**If we stop now, we'll have to forfeit the match!" said Harry. "And we're not losing to Slytherin just because of a crazy Bludger! Come on, Oliver, tell them to leave me alone!" **

"Harry!" groaned Ginny. "At least _try_ and act like you value your life!"

Harry did not reply. His mouth was going dry. It wouldn't be long now...

"**This is all your fault," George said angrily to Wood. "'Get the Snitch or die trying,' what a stupid thing to tell him —" **

"It really was." Neville rather unnecessarily said.

"Everyone knows you don't tell Harry that kind of thing!" said Ron angrily, who was not at all pleased with Wood.

"Even I know that." Malfoy mumbled. He may not like Potter... but did he really want him dead?

**Madam Hooch had joined them. **"**Ready to resume play?" she asked Wood.**

**Wood looked at the determined look on Harry's face. **"**All right," he said. "Fred, George, you heard Harry — leave him alone and let him deal with the Bludger on his own." **

Sirius looked as if he was just given his own death sentence. "Where is Wood so I can kill him?" he growled.

"He plays Keeper for Puddlemore United now." said Harry.

Sirius' face lost a little of its hostility. "Is he good?"

"Good? He's brilliant!"

"Good, I've always supported Puddlemore United." nodded Sirius.

Remus just shook his head exasperatedly. Sirius was the easiest man to sidetrack in the world... most of the time.

**The rain was falling more heavily now. On Madam Hooch's whistle, Harry kicked hard into the air and heard the telltale whoosh of the Bludger behind him. Higher and higher Harry climbed; he looped and swooped, spiraled, zigzagged, and rolled. **

"That... that was scary." said Pavarti quietly. "Every time... he almost wasn't quick enough..."

Charlie was still marveling at how he caught the snitch in the middle of all this... The kid could be a professional... Strike that, the kid _was_ a professional, he just needed a brilliant enough team to match him...

**Slightly dizzy, he nevertheless kept his eyes wide open, rain was speckling his glasses and ran up his nostrils as he hung upside down, avoiding another fierce dive from the Bludger. He could hear laughter from the crowd; he knew he must look very stupid, **

"Harry... the rain must be effecting your hearing, because we were not laughing." said Hermione quietly.

"Yeah mate... everyone was screaming..." added Ron. "How can you mix up screaming with laughing?"

Harry just shrugged.

**but the rogue Bludger was heavy and couldn't change direction as quickly as Harry could; he began a kind of roller-coaster ride around the edges of the stadium, squinting through the silver sheets of rain to the Gryffindor goal posts, where Adrian Pucey was trying to get past Wood. **

**A whistling in Harry's ear told him the Bludger had just missed him again; he turned right over and sped in the opposite direction.**

Tonks was beaming. Harry was amazing... she wanted to see him play more than anything.

"**Training for the ballet, Potter?" **

"Introducing the ass." Viola muttered. Those who heard her snickered, accept for Malfoy of course, who just frowned.

**yelled Malfoy as Harry was forced to do a stupid kind of twirl in midair to dodge the Bludger, and he fled, the Bludger trailing a few feet behind him; and then, glaring back at Malfoy in hatred, he saw it — the Golden Snitch. **

Charlie was goggling. He actually saw the snitch... in all that...

**It was hovering inches above Malfoy's left ear — and Malfoy, busy laughing at Harry, hadn't seen it. **

Malfoy was at the moment very busy avoiding looking at anyone from Slytherin House.

"Prat." Ginny announced flatly.

**For an agonizing moment, Harry hung in midair, **

Harry quickly stood up, wide eyed, it was coming-

**not daring to speed toward Malfoy**

He took a few fumbling steps backwards, not really sure where he was planning to go or what he could do, all he knew was that he could not sit still for this-

**in case he looked up and saw the Snitch.**

Ron and Hermione were on their feet, reaching out for Harry-

**WHAM. **

_CRACK!_

**He had stayed still a second too long. The Bludger had hit him at last, smashed into his elbow, and Harry felt his arm break. **

Harry shut his eyes tight and swayed dangerously on his feet-

**Dimly, dazed by the searing pain in his arm, he slid sideways on his rain-drenched broom, one knee still crooked over it, his right arm dangling useless at his side — **

Harry would have fallen over had Ron and Hermione not caught him in time-

**the Bludger came pelting back for a second attack, this time zooming at his face — Harry swerved out of the way, one idea firmly lodged in his numb brain: get to Malfoy. **

How can Harry still think after a blow like that?

**Through a haze of rain and pain he dived for the shimmering, sneering face below him and saw its eyes widen with fear: Malfoy thought Harry was attacking him. **

"**What the —" he gasped, careening out of Harry's way. **

The Slytherins all groaned at Malfoy's stupidity... the snitch was _right there_!

Everyone else, however, was watching in horror as Ron and Hermione kept Harry from falling over with difficulty.

**Harry took his remaining hand off his broom and made a wild snatch; he felt his fingers close on the cold Snitch but was now only gripping the broom with his legs, and there was a yell from the crowd below as he headed straight for the ground, trying hard not to pass out. **

It appeared that the Harry in the room was doing the same thing. His forehead, beaded in sweat, was wrinkled with the force he was clenching his eyes shut. He gritted his teeth loudly, desperately trying not to cry out.

**With a splattering thud he hit the mud and rolled off his broom. **

**His arm was hanging at a very strange angle; riddled with pain, he heard, as though from a distance, a good deal of whistling and shouting. He focused on the Snitch clutched in his good hand.**

"**Aha," he said vaguely. "We've won." **

**And he fainted. **(A/N: stopping here)

Harry went limp in Ron and Hermione's arms.

A/N: Sorry if it seemed rather short!


	24. The Duelling Club

Harry went limp in Ron and Hermione's arms.

Sirius wanted to throw up; Harry's arm was hanging at a very strange angle and even in unconsciousness Harry's face was screwed up in pain.

"Harry!" Sirius cried, jumping to Ron and Hermione's aid. "WHY DID THE BOOK STOP!?" he yelled to nobody in particular. "WE CAN'T HELP HIM! HIS BOOK SELF HAS TO BE HEALED!"

They gently laid Harry down on the floor; his breathing was heavy and labored. His white face was glistening with sweat, and if you looked closely, you could see his subtle shaking.

"Professor!" screamed Hermione. "Why did the book stop?!"

Minerva examined it, looking extremely stressed. "Oh... it wore off!" She quickly picked up the book and started reading herself, hoping that if she read quickly enough, Harry wouldn't have to live with the pain for too long. When looking at the words on the next page, she wanted to cry with relief. She needn't have worried; it appeared night, and Harry wouldn't have to relive having his bones vanished and then regrowing them...

**'The Duelling Club,' **she read.

**Harry woke up on Sunday morning to find the dormitory blazing with winter sunlight and his arm reboned but very stiff. **

The real Harry stayed as he was.

"Why didn't anything happen?" Sirius asked frantically. "Harry?" he called. "HARRY!"

"Sirius!" cried Remus. "You need to calm yourself. You're of no help to Harry in this state!"

"Look at him Remus! He's in pain! We can't help him! Harry... Harry! What do we do, Remus, that was supposed to have worked-

"Drink this, Mr. Black." Madam Pomfrey rushed over to Sirius. Eventually, in his screaming fit of panic, she had to force him to drink the calming drought with magic.

Sirius' breathing slowed, and his eyes didn't seem as panicky. "You almost lost it." said Remus. He glanced at the grimacing Harry on the floor and felt his own panic squirming in his chest, but he held it back. "We need to think about this rationally. Why didn't reading forward work?"

"Think faster!" cried Ginny as she kneeled at Harry's side. "He's hurting!"

Harry groaned and opened his eyes. He was indeed, obviously hurting. He was gritting his teeth and his face was glistening with sweat. "What's wrong?" he managed through clenched teeth when he saw everyone's panicked expressions.

"What's wrong?" asked Sirius, not shouting because of the calming draught, but it was a close thing. "What's wrong? How can you even ask that Harry!?" he knelt down at his side and examined his arm. "Why didn't it work... why didn't it work?"

Dumbledore joined the worried group around Harry. "Professor, what's wrong?" asked Ron. "Why is his arm not healed?"

"Well... this complicates things a bit." the silver bearded man said gravely.

"What does?" asked Hermione with teary eyes. "What's wrong?"

"It appears that if Harry doesn't get cured in the book, if the book skips it, then it doesn't happen in real life either. The magic is confused. Harry is all of the sudden healed, but the spell doesn't know how it happened, so it cannot mimic the effect."

"Sir?" asked Harry weakly, looking very frightened. "Is my arm going to be stuck like this?"

"Here is where we can help." said Dumbledore, thought he still wasn't looking too happy.

"Wait a minute," said Sirius, interrupting. "I thought you said we can't interfere in helping him."

"The case differs here, I think." replied Dumbledore, but he looked miserable. "We can heal him, but it must be the same way as in the book."

Harry paled.

"Well, just get Madam Pomfrey to heal him then!" said Sirius.

Dumbledore shook his head. "Harry was not directly healed by Madam Pomfrey. If you remember correctly-

"I wasn't there!" said Sirius irritably. "I can't remember anything."

"Well..." said Harry, who was looking extremely apprehensive. "First I had my bones vanished" -Sirius opened his mouth in horror- "Then had to take Skelegrow."

"You had to take that foul potion?" asked Remus in disgust. "What idiot vanished your bones?" he said.

"Lockhart." moaned Harry. "Our Defense Against the Dark Arts teacher that year."

"Lockhart?" asked Sirius, scowling. "That idiotic git from school who couldn't so much as transfigure a teabag?"

"The very same." said Snape in disgust.

Perhaps it was just the situation, but Harry found it very amusing and slightly scary that Sirius and Snape were agreeing on anything.

"So..." said Ginny slowly. "We have to vanish his bones?"

Everyone was silent, staring sadly at Harry.

Harry groaned but gingerly presented his arm. "Come on then, let's get it over with."

Madam Pomfrey raised her wand, but she hesitated. Never before had she intentionally caused a student harm. She knew this would help in the long run, but she also knew just how painful Skelegrow was. She hated herself as she muttered the spell, feeling a slight wetness in her eyes.

Harry felt his arm deflate, but he forced himself to not look at it this time, because he remembered how it had looked when Lockhart had done it the few years before.

Madam Pomfrey wiped he eyes and summoned a bottle of Skelegrow.

Harry drank some, wincing at the taste. Mentally forcing himself not to throw up, he made himself swallow.

_And there is the first prick of pain_, he thought dully as he felt as if a shard of ice had just stabbed his arm, _just hundreds more to go. At least now I have the book to distract me,_ he told himself. His mind wandered to later things that happened... there were quite a few things that could be considered extremely dangerous if the book skipped his healing, like the basilisk venom... but there was no way the book would skip Fawkes healing him, it was too important.

As everyone settled back down, Harry on the floor, surrounded by his friends and 'family', Minerva re-cast the self reading spell on the book, and the reading continued. Only now, Harry had to deal with the painful effects of the Skelegrow.

**He sat up quickly and looked over at Colin's bed, but it had been blocked from view by the high curtains Harry had changed behind yesterday. Seeing that he was awake, Madam Pomfrey came bustling over with a breakfast tray and then began bending and stretching his arm and fingers. **

Colin smiled faintly. It appeared that Harry cared about him after all... he had thought he might have been annoyed with him... but Harry Potter was full of surprises.

"**All in order," she said as he clumsily fed himself porridge left-handed. "When you've finished eating, you may leave." **

**Harry dressed as quickly as he could and hurried off to Gryffindor Tower, desperate to tell Ron and Hermione about Colin and Dobby, but they weren't there. **

"What happened?" someone asked, but nobody answered. Colin was looking a bit pale as he remembered two great bit yellow eyes... he shivered.

**Harry left to look for them, wondering where they could have got to and feeling slightly hurt that they weren't interested in whether he had his bones back or not. **

Hermione sniffed, and Harry berated himself for thinking that before and making Hermione cry. "Hermione, I-

"Oh shut up, Harry." she said softly. "I know."

Ron was shaking his head sadly. How could Harry think that, after everything they had went through? Very abruptly, his sadness changed to anger. It was those damn Dursleys, that's how. Making him think that he wasn't worth it... making him think he wasn't wanted... With a quick glance at Harry, Ron wondered if Harry still thought that now.

**As Harry passed the library, Percy Weasley strolled out of it, looking in far better spirits than last time they'd met. **

"**Oh, hello, Harry," he said. "Excellent flying yesterday, really excellent. Gryffindor has just taken the lead for the House Cup — you earned fifty points!" **

"Where're Fred and George?" asked Ginny quietly. "They left for the bathroom ages ago."

Ron shrugged, still wondering what Harry thought... Did he still think that nobody cared about him? Surely he must know how much he meant to them... right?

"**You haven't seen Ron or Hermione, have you?" said Harry. **

"**No, I haven't," said Percy, his smile fading. "I hope Ron's not in another girls' toilet…" **

Harry laughed, finding it a bit more funny the second time around, before stopping abruptly as a particularly nasty stabbing sensation shot up his arm.

"What's wrong?" asked Sirius instantly.

Harry rolled his eyes and raised his eyebrows. "I'm fine Sirius."

**Harry forced a laugh, watched Percy walk out of sight, and then headed straight for Moaning Myrtle's bathroom. He couldn't see why Ron and Hermione would be in there again, but after making sure that neither Filch nor any prefects were around, he opened the door and heard their voices coming from a locked stall. **

Ron's face turned a slight bit red, but only Harry noticed. He refrained from smiling with difficulty.

"**It's me," he said, closing the door behind him. There was a clunk, a splash, and a gasp from within the stall and he saw Hermione's eye peering through the keyhole. **

"**Harry!" she said. "You gave us such a fright — come in. How's your arm?" **

"See, Harry?" asked Hermione. "We _do_ care. And if you ever doubt that again, so help me I will... well, I'll do something."

Neville snorted. "I'm sure he's scared of that threat, Hermione."

"I know you care." said Harry quietly. "I just wasn't that use to people caring at that point..."

Ron gritted his teeth and Ginny grabbed the hand that wasn't having its bones re-grown. Sirius wanted to hug the living daylights out of his godson but, in fear of hurting his arm, he stayed put.

"I care about you too Harry."

Harry stared at Luna, and felt a smile tugging at his lips. "Thanks Luna." he said, and he meant it. "I care about you too, you know."

She smiled dreamily. "That's nice."

"**Fine," said Harry, squeezing into the stall. An old cauldron was perched on the toilet, and a crackling from under the rim told Harry they had lit a fire beneath it. **

**Conjuring up portable, waterproof fires was a speciality of Hermione's. **

"**We'd've come to meet you, but we decided to get started on the Polyjuice Potion," **

"Hold on... hold on..." said Snape silkily. "Started on the what?"

"Uh oh." muttered Ron.

"Polyjuice Potion? At your age?" asked Remus with wide eyes.

"What on Earth drove you three to do something as mad as that?" asked Dean with an awed smile on his face.

"They were desperate times..." said Hermione. "We had to find out who was attacking the students-

"What?" Sirius' voice cracked the air like a whip. "What was attacking the students?"

"Yeah..." said Neville slowly. "What was attacking the students? We never found out, you know."

Harry unconsciously shivered, and Sirius groaned. "Whatever it is... you have to battle it or something, don't you Harry?"

"Er... maybe?" said Harry quietly.

"What is it?" Sirius asked again.

"Erm..." Harry hesitated. "I don't want to tell you, or you'll be stressed out for my entire second year-

"Is it that bad?" asked Remus.

"No." said Harry quickly.

Ron snorted. "Nice cover up, Harry. I'm sure they'll believe that."

Harry glared at him and then shrugged apologetically at all the people who were looking at him fearfully, who were actually a lot more than just Sirius and Remus.

The only people who knew the whole story were... well... Ron, Hermione, Ginny, Mr. and Mrs. Weasley, McGonagall, and Dumbledore all knew _most_ of it... but only he, Harry, knew all of what really happened down in that chamber... how he had been bitten...

_Stop it_, he told himself,_ don't think about that right now. You're going to have to relive it soon enough, no need to get worked up over it so soon._

**Ron explained as Harry, with difficulty, locked the stall again. "We've decided this is the safest place to hide it."**

**Harry started to tell them about Colin, but Hermione interrupted. **"**We already know — we heard Professor McGonagall telling Professor Flitwick this morning. That's why we decided we'd better get going —" **

"What happened to Colin?" asked Sirius.

Harry thought it best not to answer.

"Honestly." muttered McGonagall. "These three find out everything! I swear, no conversation at Hogwarts is private as long as those three are around."

Flitwick nodded. He'd thought their conversation was away from prying ears... apparently not.

"**The sooner we get a confession out of Malfoy, the better," snarled Ron. **

"Malfoy!?" cried Sirius in anger and disgust.

"It wasn't him, Sirius." said Ginny quietly.

Harry winced again as the pain in his arm spiked to a new level.

Sirius' anger and confusion instantly vanished as he watched Harry worriedly.

**"D'you know what I think? He was in such a foul temper after the Quidditch match, he took it out on Colin." **

"As if." said Malfoy.

"Puh-lease, Malfoy." chided Viola. "You were absolutely furious! Telling anyone who listened that Harry Potter was a no-good-dirty-rotten-cheat."

Malfoy went pink.

"**There's something else," said Harry, watching Hermione tearing bundles of knotgrass and throwing them into the potion. **

"She won't be able to make it." Snape muttered under his breath. "The potion is much too advanced for a second year."

"**Dobby came to visit me in the middle of the night." **

"Dobby? The house elf that got you locked in your room with bars on your window to starve?" growled Sirius.

"Yeah, but he didn't mean-

"I don't care what he meant, Harry!" snapped Sirius. "He hurt you!"

"He's saved me a few times too..." said Harry, thinking about Mr. Malfoy's rage the night he went into the chamber, and the second task in his fourth year.

This did not bode well for Sirius. "You shouldn't need saving!" he said. "You should be safe..."

"Yeah, well," said Harry glumly, "I'm Harry Potter; safety isn't something I have the privilege to."

All his friends paled, but Harry was dead serious about what he'd said, and didn't take it back. It was true. Perhaps that was why all his friends looked as ill as they did, because they knew it too.

Ginny tightened her grip on Harry's hand.

**Ron and Hermione looked up, amazed. Harry told them everything Dobby had told him — or hadn't told him. Hermione and Ron listened with their mouths open. **

"**The Chamber of Secrets has been opened before?" Hermione said. **

"Wait, wait, wait, wait..." said Sirius.

"Sirius!" Moody barked. "How are we supposed to find out anything if you can't keep your mouth shut?"

Ignoring Mad-Eye, Sirius continued. "The Chamber of Secrets? _The_ Chamber of Secrets? As in, the one in the legends?"

"Yup." said Ron. Harry elbowed him.

"You mean... it's real?" Sirius asked faintly.

"Yup." said Ron again, dodging Harry's elbow.

"And, let me guess," said Remus, "You three find it."

"Yup." said Ron again, but Hermione was shaking her head. "Don't sell yourself short; we couldn't have done it without you."

"I was petrified, Ron, I didn't-

"You were WHAT?" asked Sirius and Remus simultaneously.

"**This settles it," said Ron in a triumphant voice. "Lucius Malfoy must've opened the Chamber when he was at school here and now he's told dear old Draco how to do it. **

"Who petrified you?" Sirius begged Hermione.

"Don't be an idiot, Sirius," said Remus, "No student possesses that knowledge."

**It's obvious. Wish Dobby'd told you what kind of monster's in there, though. I want to know how come nobody's noticed it sneaking around the school." **

"What if it wasn't a student?" asked Sirius. "What if it was a teacher?"

"It wasn't a teacher." said Remus, his mind whirling. What had the power to petrify? Nothing came to mind.

"**Maybe it can make itself invisible," said Hermione, prodding leeches to the bottom of the cauldron. "Or maybe it can disguise itself — pretend to be a suit of armor or something — I've read about Chameleon Ghouls —" **

"The monster!" said Sirius suddenly. "There was rumored to be a monster down in the Chamber... what was it?"

"I don't know, Sirius!" said Remus. "Nobody ever found out! It was a secret!"

"**You read too much, Hermione," said Ron, pouring dead lacewings on top of the leeches. He crumpled up the empty lacewing bag and looked at Harry. **

"Well somebody must know-

"SHUT UP!" half the student body roared.

Sirius seemed to shrink a bit. "Well if someone would answer me, I wouldn't have to keep asking."

"None of us know either!" said a Hufflepuff.

"Deal with it." said a Slytherin.

"You know." Sirius accused Harry.

"Yeah, but I'm not about to tell you what I had to fight, am I?"

"You fight it?" he asked weakly.

"Er... I'm just not going to say anything anymore." said Harry, while a few sniggered.

"**So Dobby stopped us from getting on the train and broke your arm." **

"Dobby cursed that bludger?" asked Sirius, sitting up straighter.

A few people groaned. There was just no keeping that Sirius Black quiet.

**He shook his head. "You know what, Harry? If he doesn't stop trying to save your life he's going to kill you." **

**The news that Colin Creevey had been attacked and was now lying as though dead in the hospital wing had spread through the entire school by Monday morning. The air was suddenly thick with rumour and suspicion. The first years were now moving around the castle in tight-knit groups, as though scared they would be attacked if they ventured forth alone.**

**Ginny Weasley, who sat next to Colin Creevey in Charms, was distraught, but Harry felt that Fred and George were going the wrong way about cheering her up. **

Arthur Weasley straitened. Where were Fred and George? He was starting to feel the slightest bit worried.

**They were taking turns covering themselves with fur or boils and jumping out at her from behind statues. **

Ginny grinned slightly. No, they were going the right way about cheering her up. She had just been so upset, it hadn't worked.

**They only stopped when Percy, apoplectic with rage, told them he was going to write to Mrs. Weasley and tell her Ginny was having nightmares. **

Ginny shivered. The nightmares weren't from Fred and George. Speaking of Fred and George... where were they?

**Meanwhile, hidden from the teachers, a roaring trade in talismans, amulets, and other protective devices was sweeping the school. **

The teachers all looked a bit ashamed that none of them had noticed this...

**Neville Longbottom bought a large, evil-smelling green onion, a pointed purple crystal, and a rotting newt tail before the other Gryffindor boys pointed out that he was in no danger; he was a pure-blood, and therefore unlikely to be attacked. **

"But Ginny was taken into the Chamber." said Ron tactlessly.

"Yeah," said Dean slowly. "Why was she taken?"

Harry felt guilt bubble inside him like acid. He knew why. Voldemort had dragged her in there as bait... for him, Harry. It was his fault Ginny had been taken into that awful place. His fault...

"Harry?" asked Ginny, seeing his ashen face. "You look sick... are you feeling okay?"

Harry forced a smile, but he could tell that nobody bought it so he sighed. "Just dwelling in memories." he lied.

"**They went for Filch first," Neville said, his round face fearful. "And everyone knows I'm almost a Squib." **

Malfoy snorted and Harry felt rage roaring inside him like a wave. Before he could act, however, Viola had sent a stinging jinx at Malfoy.

Silence. Everyone stared at Viola who was looking defiantly at the teachers, awaiting whatever punishment they would give her.

"Severus," said McGonagall firmly, "Do control your students better."

"Yes, Minerva." he replied in a shockingly civilized manner.

And that was that. No punishment. Malfoy looked furious, and Viola was struggling to hold back a smile.

**In the second week of December Professor McGonagall came around as usual, collecting names of those who would be staying at school for Christmas. Harry, Ron, and Hermione signed her list; they had heard that Malfoy was staying, which struck them as very suspicious. **

**The holidays would be the perfect time to use the Polyjuice Potion and try to worm a confession out of him. Unfortunately, the potion was only half finished. They still needed the bicorn horn and the boomslang skin, and the only place they were going to get them was from Snape's private stores. **

Snape began to feel heat rise to his face. They didn't...

**Harry privately felt he'd rather face Slytherin's legendary monster than let Snape catch him robbing his office. **

"How do you feel about that now, Harry?" asked Luna serenely.

Harry did not hesitate. "I'd rather face Snape."

Mouths dropped.

"**What we need," said Hermione briskly as Thursday afternoon's double Potions lesson loomed nearer, "is a diversion. Then one of us can sneak into Snape's office and take what we need." **

**Harry and Ron looked at her nervously. **

"**I think I'd better do the actual stealing," Hermione continued in a matter-of-fact tone. **

Everyone's mouths were open in a comical 'O' and their eyes were bulging.

"**You two will be expelled if you get into any more trouble, and I've got a clean record. So all you need to do is cause enough mayhem to keep Snape busy for five minutes or so." **

"Good luck." said Susan Bones.

Snape however, was remembering an incident that year... one that involved an exploding potion... they didn't...

**Harry smiled feebly. Deliberately causing mayhem in Snape's Potions class was about as safe as poking a sleeping dragon in the eye. **

"Strange." said Luna. "All these comparisons you're using, you accomplish later. Before, you said you'd rather face the legendary monster, and you do at the end of the year. Now you're comparing mayhem in Snape's class to poking a dragon in the eye. I know you don't actually poke one in the eye; that would be fairly gross... their eye bogeys aren't very appetizing... but you do end up facing a dragon."

Everyone just stared at Luna.

"The girl is right." grumbled Moody, who did not believe in coincidence.

"Yeah she is," said Lee seriously, "Dragon bogeys are disgusting." A few people laughed at this.

**Potions lessons took place in one of the large dungeons. Thursday afternoon's lesson proceeded in the usual way. Twenty cauldrons stood steaming between the wooden desks, on which stood brass scales and jars of ingredients. Snape prowled through the fumes, making waspish remarks about the Gryffindors' work while the Slytherins sniggered appreciatively. Draco Malfoy, who was Snape's favorite student, kept flicking puffer-fish eyes at Ron and Harry, who knew that if they retaliated they would get detention faster than you could say "Unfair." **

Snape narrowed his eyes. He hadn't seen Malfoy...

McGonagall sent Severus a glare that he, thankfully, missed.

**Harry's Swelling Solution was far too runny, but he had his mind on more important things. He was waiting for Hermione's signal, and he hardly listened as Snape paused to sneer at his watery potion. **

**When Snape turned and walked off to bully Neville, Hermione caught Harry's eye and nodded. Harry ducked swiftly down behind his cauldron, pulled one of Fred's Filibuster fireworks out of his pocket, and gave it a quick prod with his wand. **

"You did do it!" snarled Snape. "I should've known! Just you wait, Potter, you'll regret-

"No punishments during the reading, Severus." said McGonagall sharply. "I believe we've already covered this."

Snape was fuming.

**The firework began to fizz and sputter. Knowing he had only seconds, Harry straightened up, took aim, and lobbed it into the air; it landed right on target in Goyle's cauldron. **

The students were looking at Harry with something like reverence. None of them had ever worked up the guts to cause trouble in Potions class...

**Goyle's potion exploded, showering the whole class. People shrieked as splashes of the Swelling Solution hit them. Malfoy got a faceful and his nose began to swell like a balloon; Goyle blundered around, his hands over his eyes, which had expanded to the size of a dinner plate — **

**Snape was trying to restore calm and find out what had happened. Through the confusion, Harry saw Hermione slip quietly into Snape's office. **

Snape sent a death glare at Hermione.

"**Silence! SILENCE!" Snape roared. **"**Anyone who has been splashed, come here for a Deflating Draft — when I find out who did this —" **

"Judging by Snape's face," said Dean through his laughter, "He never found out."

Harry snorted. His arm was painful, but his friends and this reading were proving to be quite the distraction from the pain.

**Harry tried not to laugh as he watched Malfoy hurry forward, his head drooping with the weight of a nose like a small melon. **

Malfoy turned pink and turned to glare at Harry, but found his view blocked by the smirking Viola. For a moment, he forgot to look angry.

**As half the class lumbered up to Snape's desk, some weighted down with arms like clubs, others unable to talk through gigantic puffed-up lips, Harry saw Hermione slide back into the dungeon, the front of her robes bulging. **

**When everyone had taken a swig of antidote and the various swellings had subsided, Snape swept over to Goyle's cauldron and scooped out the twisted black remains of the firework. There was a sudden hush. **

"Scary..." Colin muttered. He was terrified of Snape.

"**If I ever find out who threw this," Snape whispered, "I shall make sure that person is expelled." **

**Harry arranged his face into what he hoped was a puzzled expression. **

Harry's friends burst into laughter.

Harry tried to glare at them, but watching them laugh, he couldn't hold back his smile.

**Snape was looking right at him, and the bell that rang ten minutes later could not have been more welcome. **

"**He knew it was me," Harry told Ron and Hermione as they hurried back to Moaning Myrtle's bathroom. "I could tell." **

"Yes, I did." growled Snape. "Now I have proof."

"No punishments for the reading." repeated McGonagall, just for extra measure; she wasn't sure Snape had heard her the first time.

**Hermione threw the new ingredients into the cauldron and began to stir feverishly. **"**It'll be ready in two weeks," she said happily. **

"**Snape can't prove it was you," said Ron reassuringly to Harry. "What can he do?" **

"**Knowing Snape, something foul," said Harry as the potion frothed and bubbled. **

Neville nodded, agreeing with Harry. Snape was a right git... to both him and Harry... and all the other Gryffindors, but mostly him and Harry... all right, mostly Harry...

**A week later, Harry, Ron, and Hermione were walking across the entrance hall when they saw a small knot of people gathered around the notice board, reading a piece of parchment that had just been pinned up. Seamus Finnigan and Dean Thomas beckoned them over, looking excited. **

"**They're starting a Duelling Club!" said Seamus. "First meeting tonight! I wouldn't mind duelling lessons; they might come in handy one of these days…" **

"Those lessons were useless with the teacher we got." said Seamus, taking back his words.

"They saved my life last June..." said Harry quietly, thinking of his disarming charm.

Everyone stared at him. Yes, they had all read the Quibbler... but it hadn't been very detailed... they wanted to know more, thought judging by the look on Ron and Hermione's faces, they knew better than to ask. They sat on either side of him, backs straight, glaring at anyone who happened to look their way. Harry was looking at the floor, so he didn't notice any of this. Everyone else couldn't help but notice how they seemed almost... protective over him.

It didn't matter though. They would find out soon enough.

"**What, you reckon Slytherin's monster can duel?" said Ron, but he, too, read the sign with interest. **"**Could be useful," he said to Harry and Hermione as they went into dinner. "Shall we go?" **

**Harry and Hermione were all for it, so at eight o'clock that evening they hurried back to the Great Hall. The long dining tables had vanished and a golden stage had appeared along one wall, lit by thousands of candles floating overhead. **

**The ceiling was velvety black once more and most of the school seemed to be packed beneath it, all carrying their wands and looking excited. **

"**I wonder who'll be teaching us?" said Hermione as they edged into the chattering crowd. "Someone told me Flitwick was a dueling champion when he was young — maybe it'll be him." **

Many students groaned "I wish!"

"Who taught you?" Sirius asked. He had been trying to keep quiet, but he just couldn't help it.

"**As long as it's not —" Harry began, but he ended on a groan: Gilderoy Lockhart was walking onto the stage, resplendent in robes of deep plum and accompanied by none other than Snape, wearing his usual black. **

"You have to be taught by that git?" asked Sirius in horror.

"Who's he talking about?" Ron asked. "Lockhart or Snape?"

Those who heard sniggered, and Sirius gave a crooked smile. Who indeed.

**Lockhart waved an arm for silence and called "Gather round, gather round! Can everyone see me? Can you all hear me? Excellent! Now, Professor Dumbledore has granted me permission to start this little duelling club, to train you all in case you ever need to defend yourselves as I myself have done on countless occasions**— **for full details, see my published works. Let me introduce my assistant, Professor Snape," said Lockhart, flashing a wide smile. **

"Assistant..." someone giggled, making Snape look furious.

"**He tells me he knows a tiny little bit about duelling himself **

The students were all laughing now.

**and has sportingly agreed**

Now they were positively howling with laughter. Snape, and 'sportingly' should never be used in the same sentence.

**to help me with a short demonstration before we begin. Now, I don't want any of you youngsters to worry — you'll still have your Potions master when I'm through with him, never fear!" **

"**Wouldn't it be good if they finished each other off?" Ron muttered in Harry's ear. **

Many of the students (mostly Gryffindors, mind you) had dreamy looking expressions on their faces, as if imagining what could have been.

**Snape's upper lip was curling. Harry wondered why Lockhart was still smiling; if Snape had been looking at him like that he'd have been running as fast as he could in the opposite direction. **

Everyone was shaking their heads. "No you wouldn't, Harry." said Neville. "You don't run."

"Though it might do you some good every now and then..." Ron muttered, thinking of all the danger his friend got himself into.

**Lockhart and Snape turned to face each other and bowed; at least, Lockhart did, with much twirling of his hands, whereas Snape jerked his head irritably. Then they raised their wands like swords in front of them. **

"**As you see, we are holding our wands in the accepted combative position," Lockhart told the silent crowd. "On the count of three, we will cast our first spells. Neither of us will be aiming to kill, of course." **

"**I wouldn't bet on that," Harry murmured, watching Snape baring his teeth. **

Snape smirked.

"**One — two — three —" **

**Both of them swung their wands above their heads and pointed them at their opponent; Snape cried: "Expelliarmus!" There was a dazzling flash of scarlet light and Lockhart was blasted off his feet: He flew backward off the stage, smashed into the wall, and slid down it to sprawl on the floor. **

**Malfoy and some of the other Slytherins cheered. Hermione was dancing on tiptoes. "Do you think he's all right?" she squealed through her fingers. **

"**Who cares?" said Harry and Ron together. **

Ron and Harry high fived, laughing at the memory.

Mrs. Weasley was watching the two with admiration. How good Harry was for Ron... and Ron for Harry... they needed each other... they were brothers in all but blood. Without Harry, Ron may still be a shy, embarrassed, and careless boy. And without Ron... Harry may be lonely, unconfident, and scared...

They really do need each other.

**Lockhart was getting unsteadily to his feet. His hat had fallen off and his wavy hair was standing on end. **"**Well, there you have it!" he said, tottering back onto the platform. "That was a Disarming Charm — as you see, I've lost my wand — ah, thank you, Miss Brown — yes, an excellent idea to show them that, Professor Snape, but if you don't mind my saying so, it was very obvious what you were about to do. If I had wanted to stop you it would have been only too easy**— **however, I felt it would be instructive to let them see…" **

Sirius guffawed. "Of course he did! That idiot doesn't even know how to block spells!"

**Snape was looking murderous. **

**Possibly Lockhart had noticed, because he said, "Enough demonstrating! I'm going to come amongst you now and put you all into pairs. Professor Snape, if you'd like to help me —" **

**They moved through the crowd, matching up partners. Lockhart teamed Neville with Justin Finch-Fletchley, but Snape reached Harry and Ron first. **

"Of course he did." groaned Ron.

"**Time to split up the dream team, I think," he sneered. "Weasley, you can partner Finnigan. Potter —" **

**Harry moved automatically toward Hermione. **

Hermione smiled at her friend.

"**I don't think so," said Snape, smiling coldly. "Mr. Malfoy, come over here. **

"Yeah, that's smart." said Ron, rolling his eyes. "Put the two students together with the greatest rivalry in the school. Real smart."

**Let's see what you make of the famous Potter. **

"Famous Potter my arse..." muttered Malfoy.

**And you, Miss Granger — you can partner Miss Bulstrode." **

Bulstrode was smirking at Hermione, Ron and Harry glared at her so fiercely, she looked at the floor.

**Malfoy strutted over, smirking. **

"I don't strut." said Malfoy. Viola snorted.

**Behind him walked a Slytherin girl who reminded Harry of a picture he'd seen in Holidays with Hags. She was large and square and her heavy jaw jutted aggressively. **

Now Bulstrode was glaring at Harry, cracking her knuckles threateningly.

Harry paid her no mind, but Ginny grew a little worried when she exchanged meaningful glances with Malfoy, Crabbe, and Goyle. The four of them had it in for Harry... and as far as she was concerned, Harry didn't need any more trouble.

**Hermione gave her a weak smile that she did not return. **

"**Face your partners!" called Lockhart, back on the platform. "And bow!" **

**Harry and Malfoy barely inclined their heads, not taking their eyes off each other. **

Moody nodded, his eyes, both magical and natural, found Harry. "Well job done, Potter."

Malfoy wanted to protest that he did the same thing, but changed his mind as he watched the man who had once turned him into a ferret. He rather liked being human, thank you very much.

"**Wands at the ready!" shouted Lockhart. "When I count to three, cast your charms to disarm your opponents — only to disarm them — we don't want any accidents — one… two… three —" **

Umbridge hoped desperately there would be an accident. Potter was in pain, yes, but he deserved so much more...

**Harry swung his wand high, but Malfoy had already started on "two": **

"You cheat!" spat Viola angrily.

**His spell hit Harry so hard he felt as though he'd been hit over the head with a saucepan. **

Harry gingerly rubbed his head, feeling a bit dazed.

In his condition, he didn't notice that everyone around him had gone suddenly stiff, that they clenched their jaws in suppressed anger. Of course Harry knew what it felt like to be hit over the head with a saucepan. Of course he did. They couldn't help but remember just a few chapters ago when his Aunt had attempted to do the same... of _course_ she had done it before. Of _course_ she wouldn't always miss.

Ginny ran her fingers through Harry's hair, massaging his head, hoping to ease some of the pain. Harry closed his eyes and leaned into her touch.

Ron couldn't force himself to get angry. Harry needed to be cared for. His whole life he had been abused and hated... as much as he might not fancy it, he needed Ginny.

**He stumbled, but everything still seemed to be working, and wasting no more time, Harry pointed his wand straight at Malfoy and shouted, "**_**Rictusempra!**_**" **

"So... you basically take a blow to the head with a pan... and you're still able to fight?" asked Ernie MacMillan.

Ron and Hermione nodded in pride, while Harry blushed, looking at the floor.

**A jet of silver light hit Malfoy in the stomach and he doubled up, wheezing. **

"**I said disarm only!" Lockhart shouted in alarm over the heads of the battling crowd, as Malfoy sank to his knees; Harry had hit him with a Tickling Charm, and he could barely move for laughing. Harry hung back, with a vague feeling it would be unsporting to bewitch Malfoy while he was on the floor, but this was a mistake; **

"Harry," groaned Hermione.

Moody shook his head in disappointment, but everyone else seemed impressed by Harry's fairness in a fight. Here, when Malfoy had already cheated by attacking on 'two' instead of three, Harry was hesitating to attack while the enemy was down.

**gasping for breath, Malfoy pointed his wand at Harry's knees, choked, "**_**Tarantallegra**_**!" and the next second Harry's legs began to jerk around out of his control in a kind of quickstep. **

Slightly confused, yet pleased, Harry felt the sting of the jinx, but his legs stayed stationary. (A/N: He feels the spells, but their true effect doesn't work- if he were hit with a stunner, he'd feel the pain, but wouldn't be stunned)

"**Stop! Stop!" screamed Lockhart, but Snape took charge. "Finite Incantatem!" he shouted; Harry's feet stopped dancing, Malfoy stopped laughing, and they were able to look up. **

**A haze of greenish smoke was hovering over the scene. **

**Both Neville and Justin were lying on the floor, panting; Ron was holding up an ashen-faced Seamus, apologizing for whatever his broken wand had done; but Hermione and Millicent Bulstrode were still moving; Millicent had Hermione in a headlock and Hermione was whimpering in pain; both their wands lay forgotten on the floor. Harry leapt forward and pulled Millicent off. It was difficult: She was a lot bigger than he was. **

"I don't believe I ever said thanks for that, Harry." said Hermione quietly.

"No problem." said Harry.

"**Dear, dear," said Lockhart, skittering through the crowd, looking at the aftermath of the duels. "Up you go, Macmillan…" **

"**Careful there, Miss Fawcett… Pinch it hard, it'll stop bleeding in a second," **

"**I think I'd better teach you how to block unfriendly spells," said Lockhart, **

Harry raised his eyebrows; more like teach you to look like an idiot.

**standing flustered in the midst of the hall. He glanced at Snape, whose black eyes glinted, and looked quickly away. "Let's have a volunteer pair — Longbottom and Finch-Fletchley, how about you —" **

"**A bad idea, Professor Lockhart," said Snape, gliding over like a large and malevolent bat. **

Sirius burst out laughing at Harry's choice of wording, as did many others. "Brilliant, Harry!" he howled. "Absolutely brilliant."

"Accurate description..." Ron snickered at the look on Snape's face.

"**Longbottom causes devastation with the simplest spells. **

Neville went red.

"Not anymore, Neville." said Harry reassuringly. "You're getting really, really good."

Neville grinned and everyone in the D.A. smiled with him. Harry was a great teacher. He was kind, encouraging, motivational... and he actually knew what he was doing, unlike so many other defense teachers they'd had.

**We'll be sending what's left of Finch-Fletchley up to the hospital wing in a matchbox." Neville's round, pink face went pinker. **

"**How about Malfoy and Potter?" said Snape with a twisted smile. **

"Again?" asked Mrs. Weasley, glaring at Severus. All her children called Snape a git, but she never really believed a teacher would be that biased to their students... it turns out she was wrong.

"**Excellent idea!" said Lockhart, gesturing Harry and Malfoy into the middle of the hall as the crowd backed away to give them room. **

"The final showdown!" said Colin dramatically.

"**Now, Harry," said Lockhart. "When Draco points his wand at you, you do this." He raised his own wand, attempted a complicated sort of wiggling action, and dropped it. **

The Slytherins all laughed, but everyone else frowned, knowing Harry wouldn't be able to block whatever Malfoy would throw at him with an incompetent idiot like Lockhart teaching him.

Those who were there remembered what Malfoy had done, and that it wasn't something a spell could really block anyway. They began to sink lower in their seats in shame. Once Harry spoke to the snake... they'd all suspected him... only now did they see how absolutely ludicrous of an idea that was.

**Snape smirked as Lockhart quickly picked it up, saying, "Whoops— my wand is a little overexcited—" **

Angelina shook her head in disbelief that anyone could be so stupid. "He drops his wand, and blames it on the wand? He's mental."

"He is now..." Harry muttered inaudibly, thinking of Lockhart who was still without a memory...

**Snape moved closer to Malfoy, bent down, and whispered something in his ear. Malfoy smirked, too. Harry looked up nervously at Lockhart and said, "Professor, could you show me that blocking thing again?" **

"You're mental too, Harry, asking for help from that git." Angelina added.

Harry's smile turned to a grimace as his arm throbbed.

"**Scared?" muttered Malfoy, so that Lockhart couldn't hear him. **

"**You wish," said Harry out of the corner of his mouth. **

Sirius was looking rather excited for this sure to be awesome battle, but Harry was looking grim. From here on out, life at Hogwarts took a definite turn for the worse... well, worse than it already was, what with the attacks...

**Lockhart cuffed Harry merrily on the shoulder. "Just do what I did, Harry!" **

"**What, drop my wand?" **

Everyone laughed fondly.

**But Lockhart wasn't listening. **

"No, I'm sure he heard you." said Angelina. "He just didn't want to answer, because he didn't have an answer."

"**Three — two — one — go!" he shouted. **

**Malfoy raised his wand quickly and bellowed, "**_**Serpensortia**_**!" **

**The end of his wand exploded. Harry watched, aghast, as a long black snake shot out of it, fell heavily onto the floor between them, and raised itself, ready to strike. **

"Idiot." Viola shot at Malfoy.

Malfoy opened his mouth to retort, but found himself unable to think of an insult. What was there to insult?

She smirked at his lack of response, and he shook his head, as if to loosen the cobwebs that seemed to have worked their way into his brain.

**There were screams as the crowd backed swiftly away, clearing the floor. **

"**Don't move, Potter," said Snape lazily, clearly enjoying the sight of Harry standing motionless, eye to eye with the angry snake. "I'll get rid of it…" **

"**Allow me!" shouted Lockhart. He brandished his wand at the snake and there was a loud bang; the snake, instead of vanishing, flew ten feet into the air and fell back to the floor with a loud smack. **

The teachers were all shaking their heads. Lockhart was a fool. How Dumbledore could ever higher him...

**Enraged, hissing furiously, it slithered straight toward Justin Finch-Fletchley and raised itself again, fangs exposed, poised to strike. **

**Harry wasn't sure what made him do it. He wasn't even aware of deciding to do it. All he knew was that his legs were carrying him forward as though he was on casters and that he had shouted stupidly at the snake, "Leave him alone!" **

"You really were trying to protect me." said Justin stupidly. "I mean I'd known that already... but this is proof."

"Of course I wouldn't be telling it to bite you." said Harry, a bit angrily, the pain in his arm making him a bit irritable. "It would have done that without me telling it to." Justin went pink, and Harry sighed. "Sorry. I just... it's hard... when the whole world is against you."

"I can't imagine..." said Justin softly.

**And miraculously — inexplicably — the snake slumped to the floor, docile as a thick, black garden hose, its eyes now on Harry. Harry felt the fear drain out of him. He knew the snake wouldn't attack anyone now, though how he knew it, he couldn't have explained. **

Sirius knew Harry was a Parselmouth, but he still did not understand it. How could Harry, the most non-dark wizard he ever knew, have a dark power? He just didn't understand...

**He looked up at Justin, grinning, expecting to see Justin looking relieved, or puzzled, or even grateful — but certainly not angry and scared. **

"I'm really sorry Harry." said Justin.

"I know..." said Harry quietly.

"**What do you think you're playing at?" he shouted, and before Harry could say anything, Justin had turned and stormed out of the hall. **

**Snape stepped forward, waved his wand, and the snake vanished in a small puff of black smoke. Snape, too, was looking at Harry in an unexpected way: It was a shrewd and calculating look, and Harry didn't like it. **

**He was also dimly aware of an ominous muttering all around the walls. Then he felt a tugging on the back of his robes. **

"**Come on," said Ron's voice in his ear. "Move — come on —" **

"Good, get him away from there." said Mrs. Weasley. She did not like how that Justin kid had treated Harry, and judging by Harry's face, it only gets worse.

**Ron steered him out of the hall, Hermione hurrying alongside them. As they went through the doors, the people on either side drew away as though they were frightened of catching something. **

"You know..." said Ron thoughtfully. "It really is a good thing you could speak Parseltongue... otherwise Ginny... well, we never would have been able to get in the Chamber, now, would we?"

"Thank God for that..." Molly Weasley shuddered.

**Harry didn't have a clue what was going on, and neither Ron nor Hermione explained anything until they had dragged him all the way up to the empty Gryffindor common room. **

**Then Ron pushed Harry into an armchair and said, "You're a Parselmouth. Why didn't you tell us?" **

"**I'm a what?" said Harry. **

Ron glared at all the people around them and said loudly, "See, Harry didn't even know what Parseltongue was!"

"Ron, don't-

"No, Harry. They need to see their fault." he said angrily, but the anger was not directed towards him. "You shunned him for saving Justin, all because of something you couldn't understand. Harry went through hell with all you guys blaming him. He tries to hide it, but stuff like this really hurts."

Harry went red. "Ron, stop-

"He's right Harry." said Hermione. "They need to see sense. To know what they did was wrong. Maybe they'll think twice about second guessing you again."

Now Harry understood where this was going. They were trying to convince more people about Voldemort. Harry didn't really see the point anymore, as they were going to find out the truth quite soon anyway...

"**A Parselmouth!" said Ron. "You can talk to snakes!" **

"**I know," said Harry. "I mean, that's only the second time I've ever done it. I accidentally set a boa constrictor on my cousin Dudley at the zoo once**— **long story — but it was telling me it had never seen Brazil and I sort of set it free without meaning to that was before I knew I was a wizard —" **

"**A boa constrictor told you it had never seen Brazil?" Ron repeated faintly. **

Ron smiled at the memory.

"**So?" said Harry. "I bet loads of people here can do it." **

"**Oh, no they can't," said Ron. "It's not a very common gift. Harry, this is bad." **

"No, I didn't mean that Harry." said Ron. "I just meant bad for you, considering what was happening..."

Harry smiled reassuringly at his friend. "I know that, Ron."

"**What's bad?" said Harry, starting to feel quite angry. "What's wrong with everyone? Listen, if I hadn't told that snake not to attack Justin —" **

"**Oh, that's what you said to it?" **

"**What d'you mean? You were there — you heard me —" **

"**I heard you speaking Parseltongue," said Ron. "Snake language. You could have been saying anything — no wonder Justin panicked, you sounded like you were egging the snake on or something — it was creepy, you know —" **

**Harry gaped at him. **

"Yeah, I've seen that look before." said Angelina. "He looks quite like a fish."

"I do not!" exclaimed Harry while everyone started laughing.

"**I spoke a different language? But — I didn't realize — how can I speak a language without knowing I can speak it?" **

**Ron shook his head. Both he and Hermione were looking as though someone had died. Harry couldn't see what was so terrible. **

"**D'you want to tell me what's wrong with stopping a massive snake biting off Justin's head?" he said. "What does it matter how I did it as long as Justin doesn't have to join the Headless Hunt?" **

"Thank you, Harry. For... er... stopping the snake." said Justin.

Harry grinned. He really liked Justin. "My pleasure."

"**It matters," said Hermione, speaking at last in a hushed voice, "because being able to talk to snakes was what Salazar Slytherin was famous for. That's why the symbol of Slytherin House is a serpent." **

**Harry's mouth fell open. **

"**Exactly," said Ron. "And now the whole school's going to think you're his great-great-great-great-grandson or something —" **

"**But I'm not," said Harry, with a panic he couldn't quite explain. **

"**You'll find that hard to prove," said Hermione. "He lived about a thousand years ago; for all we know, you could be." **

"You're not." said Sirius suddenly. He absolutely hated hearing his godson be upset... "You're not descended from Slytherin."

Harry nodded slowly. He'd accepted, a long time ago, that even if he was descended from Slytherin, he would always be a Gryffindor.

**Harry lay awake for hours that night. Through a gap in the curtains around his four-poster he watched snow starting to drift past the tower window and wondered… **

**Could he be a descendant of Salazar Slytherin? He didn't know anything about his father's family, after all. The Dursleys had always forbidden questions about his wizarding relatives. **

Instantly the Hall was tense again. There they were mentioned again. The Dursleys. They all wanted to curse those people into next year...

**Quietly, Harry tried to say something in Parseltongue. The words wouldn't come. It seemed he had to be face-to-face with a snake to do it. **

_**But I'm in Gryffindor**_**, Harry thought. **_**The Sorting Hat wouldn't have put me in here if I had Slytherin blood…**_

_**Ah**_**, said a nasty little voice in his brain, **_**but the Sorting Hat wanted to put you in Slytherin, don't you remember?**_

Silence.

"What?" asked Snape in shock, unable to help himself.

The whole school was marveling at this. Harry Potter. Slytherin. It seemed impossible, unbelievable, as if the world had been flipped upside down. Because Harry Potter couldn't be in Slytherin, not when he was just so... so... Gryffindorish.

"Well he's not in Slytherin." said Ron loudly. "He's in Gryffindor. So you can all just shut your mouths, which seem to have fallen open."

That's right, they thought as they closed their mouths which had dropped in shock. Harry _was_ a Gryffindor. It didn't matter what the Hat considered, in the end, it had put him in Gryffindor.

**Harry turned over. He'd see Justin the next day in Herbology and he'd explain that he'd been calling the snake off, not egging it on, which (he thought angrily, pummeling his pillow) any fool should have realized. **

"They really should have." said Romilda suddenly, staring at Harry with such desire and lust that Ginny felt herself bristle. "Any fool would be able to tell it wasn't Harry. He would never do anything like that." Many other girls nodded in agreement; most of whom, including Romilda, Harry remembered, had accused him of being Slytherin's heir more than once.

Harry, looking quite uncomfortable, moved his gaze to the floor. Did they think he was so stupid he would not remember that they treated him just as horribly as everyone else?

**By next morning, however, the snow that had begun in the night had turned into a blizzard so thick that the last Herbology lesson of the term was canceled: Professor Sprout wanted to fit socks and scarves on the Mandrakes, a tricky operation she would entrust to no one else, now that it was so important for the Mandrakes to grow quickly and revive Mrs. Norris and Colin Creevey. **

**Harry fretted about this next to the fire in the Gryffindor common room, while Ron and Hermione used their time off to play a game of wizard chess. **

"**For heaven's sake, Harry," said Hermione, exasperated, as one of Ron's bishops wrestled her knight off his horse and dragged him off the board. "Go and find Justin if it's so important to you." **

**So Harry got up and left through the portrait hole, wondering where Justin might be. **

Many lowered their heads. Here Harry was, unable to sit still and concentrate because of his need for Justin to know the truth, while they were all blaming him.

**The castle was darker than it usually was in daytime because of the thick, swirling gray snow at every window. Shivering, Harry walked past classrooms where lessons were taking place, catching snatches of what was happening within. Professor McGonagall was shouting at someone who, by the sound of it, had turned his friend into a badger. **

Lee rubbed the back of his neck sheepishly. "Whoops... George wasn't happy with me..."

Ron started laughing, but stopped a little sooner than usual as he again noticed the vacant seats of Fred and George. What were they doing?

**Resisting the urge to take a look, Harry walked on by, thinking that Justin might be using his free time to catch up on some work, and deciding to check the library first. **

**A group of the Hufflepuffs who should have been in Herbology were indeed sitting at the back of the library, but they didn't seem to be working. Between the long lines of high bookshelves, Harry could see that their heads were close together and they were having what looked like an absorbing conversation. He couldn't see whether Justin was among them. He was walking toward them when something of what they were saying met his ears, and he paused to listen, hidden in the Invisibility section. **

"**So anyway," a stout boy was saying, "I told Justin to hide up in our dormitory. I mean to say, if Potter's marked him down as his next victim, it's best if he keeps a low profile for a while. **

The so called stout boy, Ernie, lowered in his seat, looking so ashamed Harry thought he might be sick.

**Of course, Justin's been waiting for something like this to happen ever since he let slip to Potter he was Muggle-born. Justin actually told him he'd been down for Eton. That's not the kind of thing you bandy about with Slytherin's heir on the loose, is it?" **

"**You definitely think it is Potter, then, Ernie?" said a girl with blonde pigtails anxiously. **

Hannah grimaced. She hated herself for believing Harry could ever be so cruel. Harry would never...

"**Hannah," said the stout boy solemnly, "he's a Parselmouth. Everyone knows that's the mark of a Dark wizard. Have you ever heard of a decent one who could talk to snakes? **

"Well, I have now." said Ernie, his voice shaking slightly. "And his name is Harry Potter."

Harry gave him a small yet relieved smile.

**They called Slytherin himself Serpent-tongue." **

**There was some heavy murmuring at this, and Ernie went on, "Remember what was written on the wall? Enemies of the Heir, Beware. Potter had some sort of run-in with Filch. Next thing we know, Filch's cat's attacked. That first year, Creevey, was annoying Potter at the Quidditch match, taking pictures of him while he was lying in the mud. Next thing we know — Creevey's been attacked." **

"**He always seems so nice, though," said Hannah uncertainly, "and, well, he's the one who made You-Know-Who disappear. He can't be all bad, can he?" **

**Ernie lowered his voice mysteriously, the Hufflepuffs bent closer, and Harry edged nearer so that he could catch Ernie's words. **"**No one knows how he survived that attack by You-Know-Who. I mean to say, he was only a baby when it happened. He should have been blasted into smithereens. Only a really powerful Dark wizard could have survived a curse like that." **

"You are an idiot." snarled Angelina at the boy had already so readily forgiven. She for one, had never believed this nonsense about Harry being the heir. The idea in itself was preposterous.

**He dropped his voice until it was barely more than a whisper, and said, "That's probably why You- Know-Who wanted to kill him in the first place. Didn't want another Dark Lord competing with him. I wonder what other powers Potter's been hiding?" **

**Harry couldn't take anymore. Clearing his throat loudly, he stepped out from behind the bookshelves. If he hadn't been feeling so angry, he would have found the sight that greeted him funny: Every one of the Hufflepuffs looked as though they had been Petrified by the sight of him, and the colour was draining out of Ernie's face. **

"Well look at that..." said Lee, in a fake awed voice. "Harry really _can_ petrify people!"

"This isn't something to joke about, Lee." said Angelina.

"You wouldn't say that if George were here." Lee muttered, and Angelina went red.

"**Hello," said Harry. "I'm looking for Justin Finch-Fletchley." **

"That wasn't the smartest thing to say, Harry." groaned Hermione.

Looking back on it, Harry did find it kind of stupid.

**The Hufflepuffs' worst fears had clearly been confirmed. They all looked fearfully at Ernie. **"**What do you want with him?" said Ernie in a quavering voice. **

"**I wanted to tell him what really happened with that snake at the Duelling Club," said Harry. **

**Ernie bit his white lips and then, taking a deep breath, said, "We were all there. We saw what happened." **

"**Then you noticed that after I spoke to it, the snake backed off?" said Harry. **

"**All I saw," said Ernie stubbornly, though he was trembling as he spoke, "was you speaking Parseltongue and chasing the snake toward Justin." **

"**I didn't chase it at him!" Harry said, his voice shaking with anger. "It didn't even touch him!" **

"**It was a very near miss," said Ernie. **

"It didn't go near him!" muttered Ginny furiously. She had been so engrossed with her own problems that year; she hadn't noticed half of any of this. She hadn't noticed that Harry was having just as difficult a year as her...

**"And in case you're getting ideas," he added hastily, "I might tell you that you can trace my family back through nine generations of witches and warlocks and my blood's as pure as anyone's, so —" **

"**- I don't care what sort of blood you've got!" said Harry fiercely. "Why would I want to attack Muggle-borns?" **

"Yeah, especially considering that one of Harry's best friends is Muggle-born!" snapped Ginny.

"**I've heard you hate those Muggles you live with," said Ernie swiftly. **

The cold silence engulfed them all again, and Harry grimaced. He hated thinking about the Dursleys.

"**It's not possible to live with the Dursleys and not hate them," said Harry. "I'd like to see you try it." **

It was right there. Harry hated the Dursleys. And yet he'd been forced to go back year after year... All the signs were there... why did none of them realize...?

**He turned on his heel and stormed out of the library, earning himself a reproving glare from Madam Pince, who was polishing the gilded cover of a large spellbook. **

**Harry blundered up the corridor, barely noticing where he was going, he was in such a fury. The result was that he walked into something very large and solid, which knocked him backward onto the floor. **

Harry felt the slight bump as he fell on the ground, but it was a welcome annoyance compared to the other pains he would soon have to face.

"**Oh, hello, Hagrid," Harry said, looking up. **

"Er... sorry 'bout tha' Harry." said Hagrid.

"I was fine, Hagrid!" Harry grinned up at him.

**Hagrid's face was entirely hidden by a woolly, snow-covered balaclava, but it couldn't possibly be anyone else, as he filled most of the corridor in his moleskin overcoat. A dead rooster was hanging from one of his massive, gloved hands. **

"**All righ', Harry?" he said, pulling up the balaclava so he could speak. "Why aren't yeh in class?" **

"**Canceled," said Harry, getting up. "What're you doing in here?" **

**Hagrid held up the limp rooster. **

"**Second one killed this term," he explained. "It's either foxes or a Blood-Suckin Bugbear, an' I need the Headmaster's permission ter put a charm around the hen coop." **

"It wasn't either of those..." said Harry darkly, thinking about the giant snake...

Remus was still desperately trying to find out what monster was in the Chamber. He added dead roosters to the list of 'suspicious things'. So far all he had was 'Alive for thousands of years', 'Petrify', and 'Dead roosters'. It wasn't much to go on.

**He peered more closely at Harry from under his thick, snowflecked eyebrows. **

"**Yeh sure yeh're all righ'? Yeh look all hot an' bothered —" **

**Harry couldn't bring himself to repeat what Ernie and the rest of the Hufflepuffs had been saying about him. **"**It's nothing," he said. **"**I'd better get going, Hagrid, it's Transfiguration next and I've got to pick up my books." **

**He walked off, his mind still full of what Ernie had said about him. **"_**Justin's been waiting for something like this to happen ever since he let slip to Potter he was Muggle-born…" **_

"You were really upset..." said Ernie, looking a bit disturbed.

"Of course he was!" snapped Ginny angrily.

"He's brooding again..." moaned Hermione.

**Harry stamped up the stairs and turned along another corridor, which was particularly dark; the torches had been extinguished by a strong, icy draft that was blowing through a loose windowpane. He was halfway down the passage when he tripped headlong over something lying on the floor. **

Harry hardly winced at the pain of hitting the ground yet again. He knew what was coming.

**He turned to squint at what he'd fallen over and felt as though his stomach had dissolved. Justin Finch-Fletchley was lying on the floor, rigid and cold, a look of shock frozen on his face, his eyes staring blankly at the ceiling. **

Sirius groaned and put his head in his hands. "You have the worst luck of ANYONE I have EVER met in my ENTIRE life." he said slowly. "Absolutely THE worst..."

Harry did not answer, and it was because he did not fully agree. He was lucky to be alive. He did not say this out loud, however, as he didn't want to go through that argument again.

**And that wasn't all. Next to him was another figure, the strangest sight Harry had ever seen. **

**It was Nearly Headless Nick, no longer pearly-white and transparent, but black and smoky, floating immobile and horizontal, six inches off the floor. His head was half off and his face wore an expression of shock identical to Justin's. **

**Harry got to his feet, his breathing fast and shallow, his heart doing a kind of drumroll against his ribs. He looked wildly up and down the deserted corridor and saw a line of spiders scuttling as fast as they could away from the bodies. **

'Spiders and petrified ghost' Lupin added these to his list in his head, but finding himself no closer to the answer than he was before.

**The only sounds were the muffled voices of teachers from the classes on either side. **

**He could run, and no one would ever know he had been there. But he couldn't just leave them lying here… He had to get help… Would anyone believe he hadn't had anything to do with this? **

"So noble." Romilda sighed.

"It would be better for you to run." said Sirius quietly. "At least this time. You don't want to be found there."

**As he stood there, panicking, a door right next to him opened with a bang. Peeves the Poltergeist came shooting out. **

Sirius groaned yet again. "Again, with the Potter luck? This SUCKS!"

"Believe me, I know." grumbled Harry.

"**Why, it's potty wee Potter!" cackled Peeves, knocking Harry's glasses askew as he bounced past him. "What's Potter up to? Why's Potter lurking —" Peeves stopped, halfway through a midair somersault. Upside down, he spotted Justin and Nearly Headless Nick. He flipped the right way up, filled his lungs and, before Harry could stop him, screamed, "ATTACK! ATTACK! ANOTHER ATTACK! NO MORTAL OR GHOST IS SAFE! RUN FOR YOUR LIVES! ATTAAAACK!" **

"Well... that's subtle." said Sirius faintly.

Harry snorted.

**Crash — crash — crash — door after door flew open along the corridor and people flooded out. For several long minutes, there was a scene of such confusion that Justin was in danger of being squashed and people kept standing in Nearly Headless Nick. Harry found himself pinned against the wall as the teachers shouted for quiet. Professor McGonagall came running, followed by her own class, one of whom still had black-and-white-striped hair. **

**She used her wand to set off a loud bang, which restored silence, and ordered everyone back into their classes. No sooner had the scene cleared somewhat than Ernie the Hufflepuff arrived, panting, on the scene. **

"**Caught in the act!" Ernie yelled, his face stark white, pointing his finger dramatically at Harry. **

"You didn't see him do it, you PRAT!" yelled Ginny, before bursting into tears. This chapter was really taking its toll on her.

Harry pulled her into a comforting embrace as she sobbed into his chest. It was all coming out, all her conflicting feelings about her first year at Hogwarts... It was all her fault... all of it...

"**That will do, Macmillan!" said Professor McGonagall sharply. **

**Peeves was bobbing overhead, now grinning wickedly, surveying the scene; Peeves always loved chaos. As the teachers bent over Justin and Nearly Headless Nick, examining them, Peeves broke into song: **"**Oh, Potter, you rotter, oh, what have you done, You're killing off' students, you think it's good fun —" **

"**That's enough Peeves!" barked Professor McGonagall, and Peeves zoomed away backward, with his tongue out at Harry. **

**Justin was carried up to the hospital wing by Professor Flitwick and Professor Sinistra of the Astronomy department, but nobody seemed to know what to do for Nearly Headless Nick. In the end, Professor McGonagall conjured a large fan out of thin air, which she gave to Ernie with instructions to waft Nearly Headless Nick up the stairs. **

**This Ernie did, fanning Nick along like a silent black hovercraft. This left Harry and Professor McGonagall alone together. **

"**This way, Potter," she said. **

"You didn't really think I did it Professor... did you?" asked Harry, and he couldn't mask the fear in his voice. McGonagall was always there, always present, one of the few people he could always trust. For him to think so low of him in return...

"Of course not, Potter." she said at once. "I'm afraid I just had no other choice to take you to the Headmaster." Harry nodded, looking distinctly relieved.

"**Professor," said Harry at once, "I swear I didn't —" **

"**This is out of my hands, Potter," said Professor McGonagall curtly. **

**They marched in silence around a corner and she stopped before a large and extremely ugly stone gargoyle. **

"**Lemon drop!" she said. This was evidently a password, because the gargoyle sprang suddenly to life and hopped aside as the wall behind him split in two. Even full of dread for what was coming, Harry couldn't fail to be amazed. **

**Behind the wall was a spiral staircase that was moving smoothly upward, like an escalator. As he and Professor McGonagall stepped onto it, Harry heard the wall thud closed behind them. They rose upward in circles, higher and higher, until at last, slightly dizzy, Harry saw a gleaming oak door ahead, with a brass knocker in the shape of a griffin. **

**He knew now where he was being taken. This must be where Dumbledore lived. **

The book stopped reading itself, and all was silent for a while, everyone was thinking about what had just been read. Before anyone could say a word, the doors burst open, and in walked Fred and George, both of them clutching their brooms and grinning like maniacs. With a flick of their wands, another broom followed them, and Harry's stomach did a back flip.

It was his Firebolt.

A/N: I worked real hard on this chapter. Anyway, enjoy, and, like always, review. :)


	25. The Polyjuice Potion

It was his Firebolt.

Harry felt his mouth drop open. Despite his arm being in constant pain and the fact that the prospect of holding on to his broomstick seemed near impossible, Harry had never wanted to fly more in his entire life.

"Miss us?" asked Fred with a grin on his face.

"No need to hide your tears, we know you were all bawling your eyes out over our absence." said George with an equally large smile.

"WEASLEYS!" Umbridge was on her feet; seemingly forgetting that she was no longer High Inquisitor. "YOU HAVE BEEN FORBIDDEN-

"That is quite all right, _Dolores_." snapped Madam Bones. "You are suspended, and your punishments on these children are no longer valid."

Umbridge was furious. "But they- those two- shouldn't-

"You heard me, Dolores." said Amelia with an air of finality.

The twins walked right up to Harry and held out his his broom.

Harry stared for a moment, as if he were in shock, when all of the sudden, he was on his feet and he had his broom in his hands as if it were the most precious thing in the world. He looked at Fred and George and opened his mouth to thank them, but words didn't seem to be enough.

The twins smiled in understanding and placed their hands on either of his shoulders.

Fred opened his mouth, to make some witty comment no doubt, but the words got caught in his throat as he saw Harry grimace in pain. He looked him over and noticed him cradling his arm. "What did we miss?" he asked gravely.

"The bludger." said Ginny, her eyes darkening.

"Oh dear..." said Fred.

To everyone's great surprise Harry began to mount his broom.

"And just what do you think you're doing young man?" Asked Mrs. Weasley in a strangled sort of voice.

"Er... Nothing," said Harry nonchalantly. "I haven't gotten to fly in ages."

"Well don't start to now, you'll kill yourself! Have you not noticed that your arm isn't… Well, it's not in the best condition."

"As if I needed a reminder, " Harry grumbled under his breath. "Listen, Mrs. Weasley, please if you'll just let me –

"Absolutely not! How do you expect to steer? No, Harry, I'll be having none of it."

"But Mrs. Weasley, please, you don't understand!"

"I think I understand perfectly well, Harry. If you think I'm going to just let you off yourself, then you have another thing coming. I'm already going to have a heart attack from this book, I don't need you doing any life-threatening stunts in front of me or I'll lose my mind!"

"Fine," Harry grumbled to himself. "I'll just go sulk over here in the corner and stare at my broom longingly until my arm gets better."

"Fred, George, please come over here moment. I need to speak with you." Mr. Weasley was staring at the twins with an unreadable expression on his face. The twins, slightly nervous that they might be in trouble for something that the most likely did not do, nervously approached their father.

"I need to ask you something, boys." Mr. Weasley took in a nervous breath, glancing warily at Harry. He lowered his voice to be sure that he wouldn't be overheard. "Have you ever pranked Harry before?"

"No." said Fred and George forcefully without a moment' s pause.

"Why? Don't get me wrong boys, I'm not encouraging you to, I was just wondering…"

Now it was the twins turn to glance nervously at Harry. "Just look at him dad, " said Fred quietly.

"We've considered it," said George, "but every time we see him… We just can't bring ourselves to do it. He's always got something going on. He never gets a break."

"If there is anyone in the world who deserves to be left alone, Dad... well, it's Harry." said Fred.

nodded with half of a smile on his face. "I'm proud of you, boys."

Fred and George smiled together, "Thanks Dad..."

Walking back to the small group in the middle of the Hall, they noticed there was an argument going on.

"No, Harry! Not with your arm in that state!" said, surprisingly, Sirius.

"I won't do anything dangerous," said Harry hotly. "I just want to fly again!"

"What do you mean by that? You're on the Gryffindor Quidditch Team! You must have practice multiple times a week-

"I was given a life-long ban!" Harry shouted, finally losing it. "I haven't flown in... in so long..."

The entire Hall was watching Harry now, who was looking oddly hysterical. Was the stress of the book finally getting to him?

"You don't need to baby me, Sirius! You either, Mrs. Weasley! I don't need someone there to protect me all of the time!"

Sirius frowned, "Going by what we've read so far, you need all the protection you can get."

"I DON'T! Nobody was ever there for me before! I've asked for help! I've wished for someone to be there for me my whole life! But there never was anyone... I was always alone! I don't need protection! I've gotten by perfectly fine without it!" tears were starting to form in the corners of his eyes, and he hastily wiped them away. "It's too late! Nobody was there when my Uncle locked me in my cupboard! Nobody was there when I was fighting Voldemort in my first year! Nobody was there when I was attacked by dementors! Nobody was there when I got my hand cut open every night!" He couldn't stop the tears now. "Everyone says they'll help me... they promise they'll be there for me... but when I need them... nobody is ever there..."

"Harry..." choked Sirius."Please... It's not too late..."

Harry dropped his Firebolt and threw his arms around Sirius. "Why did you wait so long to break out of Azkaban!" he cried. "I needed you... I've always needed you... Please don't make me go back to the Dursleys!"

Harry was positively sobbing into Sirius' shoulder now. Years of pent up fear and need were washing over him. He had forced himself into believing that he hadn't needed anyone, but he had always known deep down that this wasn't true.

"Harry... I couldn't break out of Azkaban sooner... trust me, I would have if I could have... I would've broken out for you... but you were a happy thought Harry, and the dementors took you away from me. Only when I found out that you were in danger from Pettigrew did I gain my strength back, because you see, this was not a happy thought. Please believe me when I say that I would do anything for you Harry!"

Harry, his arm throbbing painfully from throwing it around Sirius, began to feel dizzy. This was all too much. The pain... the stress... the emotional exhaustion... Harry's legs gave way beneath him, and Sirius yelled out in shock.

"Harry!" he cried.

"It's all right Sirius... he's just fainted." said Remus softly.

"Oh... right..." Sirius sat on the floor and lay his godson down gently. He conjured up some blankets and covered their spot with them. Soon enough, the floor was covered in pillows and blankets that would be comfortable enough even for the most lightest sleepers. Settling down on the blankets, all of those close to Harry made themselves comfortable.

"I wonder how long he's been carrying that around..." said Tonks quietly.

"Probably his entire life..." said Remus."He had ten miserable years with the Dursleys to dwell on how lonely he was... I guess some wounds are so deep, you can't just cure them when you feel like it. He's been trying to trust us, I can tell. He's just still not use to people caring about him, that's all."

"Having to return to the Dursley's every summer sure as hell doesn't help either." Sirius growled.

"No... I imagine it doesn't."

"We can't let him go back there." said Hermione slowly. "Never again."

"Damn straight."

"Ronald!" cried Mrs. Weasley.

"Should we wait for Harry for the next chapter?" asked Mr. Weasley.

"No," said Sirius instantly, "Let him sleep. Merlin knows he's been through enough already. He shouldn't have to live through any of this twice."

"I'll read." said Bill suddenly.

"What about the reading the book spell?" asked Charlie.

"No," said Bill, levitating the book to him, "I think I'll read." He could not explain it... he just felt anxious with the reading spell. It reassured him to read it himself, thought he still had no idea why. **'The Polyjuice Potion,'**

"You mean you actually pull it off?" asked Dean, impressed.

**They stepped off the stone staircase at the top, and Professor McGonagall rapped on the door. It opened silently and they entered. Professor McGonagall told Harry to wait and left him there, alone. **

"Well that's only going to terrify him, the poor kid."

"Don't let Harry hear you say that Mum," said Fred in complete seriousness.

"Yeah, he won't react kindly to that." said George. "Whoever calls Harry a 'poor kid' is in for it. You're really lucky he's unconscious Mum."

Mrs. Weasley just rolled her eyes.

**Harry looked around. One thing was certain: of all the teachers' offices Harry had visited so far this year, Dumbledore's was by far the most interesting. If he hadn't been scared out of his wits that he was about to be thrown out of school, he would have been very pleased to have a chance to look around it. **

"But he didn't do it." growled Sirius. "Why would he be scared if he didn't do it?"

Hermione sighed, "Things aren't generally fair for Harry. He tends to expect the worst, because that's usually what happens anyway."

Sirius thought for a moment before asking her, "Hey Hermione, what's the monster in the chamber?"

"Not telling." she said, shivering slightly.

"But-

"Sirius, nobody is going to tell us."sighed Remus. "Accept it."

Sirius frowned while he absently brushed Harry's hair out of his eyes.

**It was a large and beautiful circular room, full of funny little noises. A number of curious silver instruments stood on spindle legged tables, whirring and emitting little puffs of smoke. The walls were covered with portraits of old headmasters and headmistresses, all of whom were snoozing gently in their frames. There was also an enormous, claw-footed desk, and, sitting on a shelf behind it, a shabby, tattered wizard's hat — the Sorting Hat. **

**Harry hesitated. He cast a wary eye around the sleeping witches and wizards on the walls. Surely it couldn't hurt if he took the hat down and tried it on again? Just to see… just to make sure it had put him in the right House. **

"Harry..." Ginny groaned, clutching his hand. "Use your common sense! As if a Slytherin would have had the bravery to do what you've done so far!"

"Hey!" cried a sixth year Slytherin, her face fiery. "I resent that!"

Ginny just grinned sweetly at her.

**He walked quietly around the desk, lifted the hat from its shelf, and lowered it slowly onto his head. It was much too large and slipped down over his eyes, just as it had done the last time he'd put it on. Harry stared at the black inside of the hat, waiting. Then a small voice said in his ear, "Bee in your bonnet, Harry Potter?" **

"**Er, yes," Harry muttered. "Er — sorry to bother you —**

Ron snorted while many of the Gryffindors snickered. "You've got to hand it to Harry." he said grinning." He looked down at his best friend who was breathing deeply in his sleep while he clutched his arm. He frowned.

**I wanted to ask —" **

"**You've been wondering whether I put you in the right House," said the hat smartly. **"**Yes… you were particularly difficult to place. But I stand by what I said before —" Harry's heart leapt — "you would have done well in Slytherin —" **

Many groaned. "Great, just what Harry needs." said Fred sarcastically.

"More doubt." said George, shaking his head in disappointment at the hat.

**Harry's stomach plummeted. He grabbed the point of the hat and pulled it off. It hung limply in his hand, grubby and faded. Harry pushed it back onto its shelf, feeling sick. **

Hermione stood up and stamped her foot in frustration.

"Er... Hermione?" asked Ron cautiously.

"You and I need to half a nice long talk with Harry, Ron." she said.

"Um... about what?"

"Everything! Look at how scared he was down with Quirrel in his first year- (many shivered at the reminder)- and how he watered down the version of what really happened when he told us because he didn't want us to worry. Look at how horrible this is making him feel, this dread that he was placed in the wrong house, and yet he never even told us the hat had considered him for Slytherin! We could have eased his worries with a few comforting words, and he would feel better, but we never knew he was dwelling on this! I hate to think what else he has been keeping from us. We need to have a nice long talk with him to make sure he knows that he can trust us. That we _want_ to know, even if we'll worry... he needs to know how much we care about him."

Ron nodded, determinedly. She had merely said what he had been thinking the entire book.

"I think I'll join you in this conversation." said Sirius sternly, leaving no room for argument, not that they would have argued though. Hermione was right. Harry needed to know.

"**You're wrong," he said aloud to the still and silent hat. **

Hermione sat back down next to Harry and carefully started observing his arm. She sighed. It would be a while until his bones were back. At least a few more hours.

"I'm hungry." said Ron suddenly.

Dean and Seamus snorted.

"Of course you are." said Hermione with a fond grin on her face.

**It didn't move. Harry backed away, watching it. Then a strange, gagging noise behind him made him wheel around. **

Sirius stiffened-

**He wasn't alone after all. Standing on a golden perch behind the door was a decrepit-looking bird that resembled a half-plucked turkey.**

He let out a relieved breath, though why a turkey was in Dumbledore's office, he didn't know.

**Harry stared at it and the bird looked balefully back, making its gagging noise again. Harry thought it looked very ill. Its eyes were dull and, even as Harry watched, a couple more feathers fell out of its tail. **

_Oh_, thought Sirius lamely, _it's Dumbledore's phoenix_.

**Harry was just thinking that all he needed was for Dumbledore's pet bird to die while he was alone in the office with it, when the bird burst into flames. **

"Is Harry cursed or something? I know we've all said this before, but Harry really does have awful luck." said Angelina. "What are the odds that Professor Dumbledore's bird would catch fire while Harry is in there alone?"

"The odds don't matter." said Ron grimly. "It doesn't make a difference if the odds are fifty fifty or a thousand to one. Harry will get the bad share of it."

"Surely it can't always be so bad..." said Remus, trying to look on the bright side of things.

Ron and Hermione just looked at him as if he had grown an extra head with their eyebrows raised.

"There has to be a time where it wasn't so-

"Remus shut up." Sirius advised. "If the looks on their faces isn't enough, look at Harry..."

Remus shut up.

**Harry yelled in shock and backed away into the desk. He looked feverishly around in case there was a glass of water somewhere but couldn't see one; the bird, meanwhile, had become a fireball; it gave one loud shriek and next second there was nothing but a smoldering pile of ash on the floor. **

**The office door opened. Dumbledore came in, looking very somber. **

"**Professor," Harry gasped. "Your bird — I couldn't do anything — he just caught fire —" **

"Oh... he thinks he'll be blamed..." muttered Mrs. Weasley sadly.

"Why would he think that? He didn't do it." said Charlie angrily. When Ron opened his mouth, he continued, "It was rhetorical Ronald. I know the answer."

"Damn Dursleys." muttered Sirius. "First, I'm gonna introduce myself, all formal like, I'll say 'Hello Petunia, remember me? You're sister's husband's best friend? Hello Vernon, we've never met, though you might recognize my name, I'm Sirius Black, Harry's godfather and the mass murderer'- of course I won't tell them I'm innocent- and then I'll stun Dudley's fat arse and get on with slowly torturing Harry's aunt and uncle in very painful yet creative and legal ways. I'll blow up the kitchen- Petunia wouldn't like that- and then I'll lock Vernon in Harry's cupboard without any food and see how he likes it! And then I'll-

"Sirius." said Remus, effectively stopping Sirius' rant, "Don't worry. We're going to have a nice long 'talk' with the Dursleys soon enough. No point in fantasizing about it."

Sirius let an evil grin take over his features.

**To Harry's astonishment, Dumbledore smiled. **"**About time, too," he said. "He's been looking dreadful for days; I've been telling him to get a move on." He chuckled at the stunned look on Harry's face. **"**Fawkes is a phoenix, Harry. Phoenixes burst into flame when it is time for them to die and are reborn from the ashes. Watch him…" **

**Harry looked down in time to see a tiny, wrinkled, newborn bird poke its head out of the ashes. It was quite as ugly as the old one. **

Harry's friends all smiled.

"**It's a shame you had to see him on a Burning Day," said Dumbledore, seating himself behind his desk. "He's really very handsome most of the time, wonderful red and gold plumage. Fascinating creatures, phoenixes. They can carry immensely heavy loads,**

Ron and Ginny grinned weakly at each other. "That came in handy."

"What? Why?" asked Sirius quickly, desperate to know anything he could about the mystery of Harry's second year. "What on Earth would you need that for?"

"It'll be in the book." shrugged Ron.

Sirius groaned, "I can't take this... the stress is gonna kill me..."

**their tears have healing powers,**

Ron shuddered. "Man am I glad we didn't need those."

Ginny nodded in relief. Luckily, nobody had been hurt too bad down in the chamber... well, if you don't count Lockhart, and nobody ever did seem to count him.

Sirius looked distinctly relieved; at least his godson hadn't almost died this time. He wasn't sure if he could deal with another heart attack.

Ignorance is bliss.

**and they make highly faithful pets." **

**In the shock of Fawkes catching fire, Harry had forgotten what he was there for, **

"This is weird..." said Ron. "Harry doesn't usually lose his head like this."

"Oh give him a break, Ron! Harry was terrified that he was going to be expelled-

"I'm not having a go at Harry, Hermione," Ron said quickly, "He's usually just so... cool headed."

"He's human too, Ron." said Ginny quietly, still clutching Harry's hand in her own and staring at his peaceful face.

"I know..." said Run uncomfortably. "That's not what I meant... It's just... he always seems so strong..."

"That's because he is." snapped Ginny.

Ron sighed in frustration. "You're not getting it at all! I'm pointing out how I've never really seen him like this! Though I'm glad I haven't, he usually only gets like this when things get real bad for him... no, I'm not glad I haven't seen it... if I had noticed, maybe I could have helped him... maybe I could've-

Hermione put a hand on Ron's shoulder. "Ron..." she said softly.

Ron stopped talking. Hermione understood. Ron hated seeing him like this. Hated it more than he could ever explain. If only he could have been there for Harry when he'd really needed it... It was just like Harry had said, wasn't it? We always promise we'll be there for him, but when he needs us, really needs us, we aren't there.

Ron looked down at his friend whose arm looked to be gaining a bit of its fullness. Next time, he promised, next time I'll be there for him.

**but it all came back to him as Dumbledore settled himself in the high chair behind the desk and fixed Harry with his penetrating, light-blue stare. **

**Before Dumbledore could speak another word, however, the door of the office flew open with an almighty bang and Hagrid burst in, a wild look in his eyes, his balaclava perched on top of his shaggy black head and the dead rooster still swinging from his hand. **

Hagrid flushed a bit, but he did not wilt at Umbridge's cold gaze. He was there for Harry, and may he be damned if he ever wasn't.

"**It wasn' Harry, Professor Dumbledore!" said Hagrid urgently. "I was talkin' ter him seconds before that kid was found, he never had time, sir —" Dumbledore tried to say something, but Hagrid went ranting on, waving the rooster around in his agitation, sending feathers everywhere. **"**it can't've bin him, I'll swear it in front o' the Ministry o' Magic if I have to." **

"Imagine..." said Bill quietly, "What if the Ministry had been involved then? What if it was like this," he gestured around him, "Back then?"

"Well... I'd be expelled," said Ginny, "Hagrid would be in Azkaban, Ron would likely be expelled too, Hogwarts would be closed, Voldemort would be back two years earlier, and Harry..." she let her voice trail off.

"We are bloody lucky the Ministry was not too horrible back then, then." said Bill weakly.

Sirius had gone very pale. He knew why Ginny had stopped talking at Harry; what would have happened to him? With Hogwarts closed, Harry wouldn't have learned any new magic to defend himself, and he would have indefinitely been stuck with the Dursleys. And with Voldemort back... and with him only being a second year... how much of a chance would he stand?

They were all just glad that the Ministry didn't get completely horrible until recently.

"**Hagrid, I —" **

"— **yeh've got the wrong boy, sir, I know Harry never —" **

"Never, ever, ever, ever, ever, ever, ever, ever, ever, ever, ever, ever, ever, ever, ever, ever-

"Yeah, we get it Fred- or George- or whoever you are." said Charlie, rolling his eyes.

"He's Fred!"

"No, I'm George!"

"No, you're Fred!"

"But I thought you were Fred!"

"Even my own brother gets us mixed up." said the other twin, because by now everyone was so confused, telling them apart was impossible. "That's pathetic."

The other twin, who was being accused of being Fred and he denied it even though he really was, laughed at everyone's faces. "Don't worry, I am Fred!"

"As if we'd believe that!" said Ginny.

"Seriously, I am." he said, nodding.

"Yeah, he is. I'm George."

"But you just said-" Ron blurted before sighing in defeat. "Whatever. I don't care which one you are. Bill, just keep reading."

The twins grinned identically.

"**Hagrid!" said Dumbledore loudly. "I do not think that Harry attacked those people." **

"Yeah, only an idiot would!" Sirius grumbled.

Many shifted guiltily.

"**Oh," said Hagrid, the rooster falling limply at his side. "Right. I'll wait outside then, Headmaster." And he stomped out looking embarrassed. **

"**You don't think it was me, Professor?" Harry repeated hopefully **

Molly shook her head sadly. Harry shouldn't have to stress about things he didn't do.

**as Dumbledore brushed rooster feathers off his desk. **

"**No, Harry, I don't," said Dumbledore, though his face was somber again. "But I still want to talk to you." Harry waited nervously while Dumbledore considered him, the tips of his long fingers together. **"**I must ask you, Harry, whether there is anything you'd like to tell me," he said gently. "Anything at all." **

Sirius perked up, if Harry told Dumbledore... that would take a load off his shoulders.

'**Harry didn't know what to say. He thought of Malfoy shouting, "You'll be next, Mudbloods!" and of the Polyjuice Potion simmering away in Moaning Myrtle's bathroom. Then he thought of the disembodied voice he had heard twice**

"Wait- what? Dis- disembodied voice? What the hell does that mean?" asked Sirius.

Hermione sighed. "Harry kept hearing a voice, but only he could hear it... it kept saying things like 'Rip, tear, kill', and it was creeping us all out... every time he heard the voice, an attack soon happened afterwards. Someone was always petrified.

"Why didn't Harry tell anyone about this sooner?" asked Sirius in shock.

"He told Ron and me, but... he was hearing _voices_... people already thought he was the heir of Slytherin... we didn't need everyone thinking he was off his rocker as well...

"Well... I guess I can understand that... at least he'll tell Dumbledore though." said Sirius. He missed the miserable look the teens exchanged while he concentrated on finding out what the legendary Slytherin monster was...

**and remembered what Ron had said: "Hearing voices no one else can hear isn't a good sign, even in the wizarding world." He thought, too, about what everyone was saying about him, and his growing dread that he was somehow connected with Salazar Slytherin… **

"**No," said Harry. "There isn't anything, Professor…" **

Sirius was brought back to Earth with an unpleasant bump. "He... he didn't tell Dumbledore?"

"Alas, he did not." said Dumbledore gravely.

"Albus," said McGonagall, "Surely you didn't believe him? He was obviously troubled..."

"Of course he was, Minerva." he replied solemnly. "Yet who wouldn't be with all he had on his shoulders. I did no more than you yourself did, Minerva."

McGonagall frowned, he was right of course... what had she done to help Harry? Nothing. Nothing at all. The thought made her feel ill. If she had known what one of her students was going through...But what could she have done about that? Hearing voices? She would have doubted his mental health and sent him to Madam Pomfrey.

**The double attack on Justin and Nearly Headless Nick turned what had hitherto been nervousness into real panic. Curiously, it was Nearly Headless Nick's fate that seemed to worry people most.** **What could possibly do that to a ghost? people asked each other; what terrible power could harm someone who was already dead? **

"Anybody want to answer it this time?" asked Sirius in vain hope. "No? Well, worth the try I suppose..."

"Merlin's pants, Sirius!" cried Tonks. "Nobody knows accept maybe a few teachers and these four," she said, gesturing to the trio and Ginny, "Ron, Hermione, and Ginny most certainly aren't telling, and even if Harry was awake, he would sure as hell refuse as well, as he has done so many times already! When is it going to get through that thick head of yours?"

Sirius was no longer paying attention, in fact, he had stopped paying attention before she'd said even ten words; some of the teachers knew, of course. Dumbledore, surely, knew. "Dumbledore I-

"Sirius," said the Headmaster sternly. "You will have to wait and see just like everyone else."

Sirius groaned. "This is horrible! I hate this stupid book!"

**There was almost a stampede to book seats on the Hogwarts Express so that students could go home for Christmas. **

"**At this rate, we'll be the only ones left," Ron told Harry and Hermione. "Us, Malfoy, Crabbe, and Goyle. What a jolly holiday it's going to be." **

The twins smiled. "Why is Harry always the funniest when we're not around?" asked George.

"He really is hilarious... a shame we always miss it. We'd have tried to recruit him sooner."

"He's never funny on purpose." said Hermione. "It usually only happens when he's really angry or being sarcastic... I'd consider it a good thing you don't hear him like that, because odds are, with the stunts you pull, it'd be at you. And trust me; you don't want to be yelled at by an angry Harry.

Ron and Hermione shivered at the memory while Fred and George just grinned fondly.

**Crabbe and Goyle, who always did whatever Malfoy did, had signed up to stay over the holidays, too. **

**But Harry was glad that most people were leaving. **

There were many raised eyebrows at this.

**He was tired of people skirting around him in the corridors, as though he was about to sprout fangs or spit poison; tired of all the muttering, pointing, and hissing as he passed. **

The silence seemed to ring in everyone's ears. Those close to Harry were red with fury while those guilty were pink with embarrassment and shame.

**Fred and George, however, found all this very funny. **

Mrs. Weasley cast her boys a look that made them look at the floor.

**They went out of their way to march ahead of Harry down the corridors, shouting, "Make way for the Heir of Slytherin, seriously evil wizard coming through…" **

Sirius snorted, but Molly was angry. "Why would you do that to him? He was being tormented enough already!"

"We weren't tormenting him mom!" said Fred, and he seemed almost angry.

"We were trying to get others to see just how rediculous the idea was!" added George, just as angry.

Molly sniffed in her frustration with her twins, who would never live up to their full potential.

**Percy was deeply disapproving of this behavior. **"**It is not a laughing matter," he said coldly. **

"**Oh, get out of the way, Percy," said Fred. "Harry's in a hurry." **

Sirius stopped Mrs. Weasley from another rant by telling her softly, "Molly, you may not approve, but they're going the right way about this, I'm sure. This is the only thing that'll actually maybe cheer Harry up."

"How can you even-

"I just know... it's something Harry wouldn't be annoyed with."

"**Yeah, he's off to the Chamber of Secrets for a cup of tea with his fanged servant," said George, chortling. **

**Ginny didn't find it amusing either. **

No, because it was her doing the attacks, she thought miserably. Maybe not directly, but...

"**Oh, don't," she wailed every time Fred asked Harry loudly who he was planning to attack next, or when George pretended to ward Harry off with a large clove of garlic when they met. **

Sirius smiled at the garlic part.

**Harry didn't mind; it made him feel better that Fred and George, at least, thought the idea of his being Slytherin's heir was quite ludicrous. **

Fred and George nodded, glad and a bit relieved that Harry had caught on where their mother hadn't. "Harry gets it, Mum." said Fred.

"Yeah, he knows what we're about." said George.

Molly frowned, but Mr. Weasley had a surge of pride in his boys. They knew Harry so well... Molly hadn't accepted their sense of humor yet, but he knew, eventually, she'd come around.

**But their antics seemed to be aggravating Draco Malfoy, who looked increasingly sour each time he saw them at it. **

"Because they looked like right idiots, that's why." said Malfoy.

"Looked in a mirror lately, Malfoy?" asked Viola snidely, smirking.

"**It's because he's bursting to say it's really him," said Ron knowingly. "You know how he hates anyone beating him at anything, and you're getting all the credit for his dirty work." **

"That makes sense..." said Sirius slowly.

"No." said Hermione glumly. "We got it wrong again. First year we thought it was Snape but it was Quirrel, second year we thought it was Malfoy but it was-

"Yes?" asked Sirius eagerly.

"Oh close your mouth Sirius, I'm not going to actually tell you." she sighed wearily.

"**Not for long," said Hermione in a satisfied tone. "The Polyjuice Potion's nearly ready. We'll be getting the truth out of him any day now." **

"This is ridiculous..." Snape muttered. "Can't make it... too advanced... meager second years... sixth year potion... abysmal at potions..."

**At last the term ended, and a silence deep as the snow on the grounds descended on the castle. Harry found it peaceful, rather than gloomy, **

Sirius sighed and closed his eyes, savoring his godson's peacefulness.

**and enjoyed the fact that he, Hermione, and the Weasleys had the run of Gryffindor Tower, which meant they could play Exploding Snap loudly without bothering anyone, and practice duelling in private. **

**Fred, George, and Ginny had chosen to stay at school rather than visit Bill in Egypt with Mr. and Mrs. Weasley. Percy, who disapproved of what he termed their childish behavior, didn't spend much time in the Gryffindor common room. **

**He had already told them pompously that he was only staying over Christmas because it was his duty as a prefect to support the teachers during this troubled time. **

Rather than make jokes about Percy the 'pompous prefect' they just frowned. They really did miss their brother... not that they'd ever admit it. Ever.

**Christmas morning dawned, cold and white. Harry and Ron, the only ones left in their dormitory, were woken very early by Hermione, who burst in, fully dressed and carrying presents for them both.**

"**Wake up," she said loudly, pulling back the curtains at the window. **

"**Hermione — you're not supposed to be in here —" said Ron, shielding his**

Fred and George snorted before Bill could finish the sentence, causing both Ron and Hermione to blush furiously and Ginny to burst out laughing.

**eyes against the light. **

"**Merry Christmas to you, too," said Hermione, throwing him his present. "I've been up for nearly an hour, adding more lacewings to the potion. It's ready." **

**Harry sat up, suddenly wide awake. **

Many frowned. Harry woke up to hearing that the potion was ready, but not that it was Christmas? Sure, he can't have had many pleasant Christmases before Hogwarts but... to be more excited for a potion to solve a mystery... the boy had too much responsibility for his own good.

'Oh, come on Harry," said Sirius irritated, saying what was on everyone's mind, "It's Christmas!"

"**Are you sure?" **

"**Positive," said Hermione, shifting Scabbers the rat so that she could sit down on the end of Ron's four-poster. **

Sirius' jaw was suddenly clenched and his hands were in fists. Remus just looked miserable, and Ron and Hermione looked almost as furious as Sirius.

"**If we're going to do it, I say it should be tonight." **

"There's Harry for you," sighed Hermione, "He never has been one to hesitate."

**At that moment, Hedwig swooped into the room, carrying a very small package in her beak. **"**Hello," said Harry happily as she landed on his bed. "Are you speaking to me again?" **

How special she must be to Harry, thought Sirius, being his only company at the Dursley's...

**She nibbled his ear in an affectionate sort of way, **

Hermione smiled; she knew how much Harry loved his owl. He had never said it, but it was so obvious... Hermione smiled; she knew how much Harry loved his owl. He had never said it, but it was so obvious... Just look at the beginning of second year, for example, he was being practically starved and yet he gave her half his food.

**which was a far better present than the one that she had brought him, which turned out to be from the Dursleys. **

Sirius ran his fingers through his godson's hair as he slept on, trying to stop himself from hearing what he was sure to come.

**They had sent Harry a toothpick and a note telling him to find out whether he'd be able to stay at Hogwarts for the summer vacation, too. **

This was greeted by silence.

"A toothpick." said Angelina faintly.

"Yeah, well he'd choose Hogwarts over you any day, Dursleys!" cried Sirius. "Those fowl- evil- horrible- cruel- abusive- nasty- awful- disgusting-

"Sirius," said Mr. Weasley sternly, "You'll wake Harry... try and keep your voice down.

Sirius glanced at Harry worriedly to see if he had indeed woken his godson, but he hadn't.

**The rest of Harry's Christmas presents were far more satisfactory. Hagrid had sent him a large tin of treacle fudge, which Harry decided to soften by the fire before eating; **

"Smart, that." nodded George.

**Ron had given him a book called Flying with the Cannons, a book of interesting facts about his favorite Quidditch team, **

"They're never gonna win Ron," said Charlie exasperated, "They're at the bottom of the league."

"Says you." said Ron stubbornly.

**and Hermione had bought him a luxurious eagle-feather quill. **

Hermione beamed.

**Harry opened the last present to find a new, hand-knitted sweater from Mrs. Weasley and a large plum cake. **

Sirius and Remus looked gratefully at Mrs. Weasley. 'Thank you.' they mouthed to her and she smiled.

**He read her card with a fresh surge of guilt, thinking about Mr. Weasley's car (which hadn't been seen since its crash with the Whomping Willow), and the bout of rule-breaking he and Ron were planning next. **

"At least Harry feels guilty," said Hermione, looking pointedly at Ron, who just sat there oblivious to what she was implying.

**No one, not even someone dreading taking Polyjuice Potion later, could fail to enjoy Christmas dinner at Hogwarts. **

"At least Harry has a good time." said Neville with a sad smile.

**The Great Hall looked magnificent. Not only were there a dozen frost-covered Christmas trees and thick streamers of holly and mistletoe crisscrossing the ceiling, but enchanted snow was falling, warm and dry, from the ceiling. Dumbledore led them in a few of his favourite carols, Hagrid booming more and more loudly with every goblet of eggnog he consumed. Percy, who hadn't noticed that Fred had bewitched his prefect badge so that it now read "Pinhead," kept asking them all what they were sniggering at. **

Percy was glaring at the twins forcefully.

"Come on, Perc," said Fred.

"Lighten up, will you? This happened like, over two years ago." added George.

All they wanted was to go back to normal, to become the loving, teasing family they once were...

**Harry didn't even care that Draco Malfoy was making loud, snide remark about his new sweater from the Slytherin table. With a bit of luck, Malfoy would be getting his comeuppance in a few hours' time. Harry and Ron had barely finished their third helpings of Christmas pudding when Hermione ushered them out of the hall to finalize their plans for the evening. **

"**We still need a bit of the people you're changing into," said Hermione matter-of-factly, as though she were sending them to the supermarket for laundry detergent. **

"I can't believe you're actually going through with this." Snape snapped at Hermione.

"Hey!" said Ron angrily. "We had a suspicion, and the teachers certainly weren't getting anywhere in finding who was behind everything that year, so we took matters into our own hands."

"You were second year students who were inexperienced-

"At least they did something." said Moody gruffly. "The kid is right, you teachers weren't getting anywhere."

"**And obviously, it'll be best if you can get something of Crabbe's and Goyle's; they're Malfoys best friends, he'll tell them anything. And we also need to make sure the real Crabbe and Goyle can't burst in on us while we're interrogating him. **

Malfoy was trying desperately to remember back to that Christmas break... He didn't remember anyone acting out of character... did that mean they didn't pull it off?

"**I've got it all worked out," she went on smoothly, ignoring Harry's and Ron's stupefied faces. **

"Go Hermione!" The twins said in appreciation and a little bit of pride.

**She held up two plump chocolate cakes. "I've filled these with a simple Sleeping Draught. All you have to do is make sure Crabbe and Goyle find them. You know how greedy they are, they're bound to eat them. Once they're asleep, pull out a few of their hairs and hide them in a broom closet." **

"For anyone else, that is a really stupid plan..." said Angelina. "But considering its Crabbe and Goyle, I think It'll work without a fault.

**Harry and Ron looked incredulously at each other. **

Hermione smiled. She was incredibly fond of both of them... Harry, her best friend, and Ron, who... well... she blushed slightly... maybe a bit more than a friend.

"**Hermione, I don't think —" **

"**That could go seriously wrong —" **

Sirius looked at Harry in exasperation, even though he was still sleeping. "He'll jump headfirst on the back of a troll, drop into a trapdoor with no sign of the bottom, and try and distract a Death Eater... and he thinks a bit of Polyjuice Potion could go wrong?"

"The boy is right, Black." sneered Snape.

Sirius stiffened. There it was again, 'the boy'. First the Dursleys and now Snape. "It's _Harry_." he said dangerously. "His name is _Harry_."

**But Hermione had a steely glint in her eye not unlike the one Professor McGonagall sometimes had. **

"**The potion will be useless without Crabbe's and Goyle's hair," she said sternly. "You do want to investigate Malfoy, don't you?" **

"**Oh, all right, all right," said Harry. **

"Never thought I'd see the day where Hermione has to convince Harry to do something reckless." said Neville with an awed look on his face.

Ron looked a bit sheepish. "She tends to do that a lot, actually."

**"But what about you? Whose hair are you ripping out?" **

"**I've already got mine!" said Hermione brightly, pulling a tiny bottle out of her pocket and showing them the single hair inside it. **"**Remember Millicent Bulstrode wrestling with me at the Duelling Club? She left this on my robes when she was trying to strangle me! And she's gone home for Christmas — so I'll just have to tell the Slytherins I've decided to come back."**

Millicent was glaring at Hermione, her square jaw set in dislike.

"That's a bit risky." stated Moody conversationally. "There's plenty that can go wrong..."

**When Hermione had bustled off to check on the Polyjuice Potion again, Ron turned to Harry with a doom-laden expression. **

"Oh, you are _so_ dramatic, Ron!" sighed Hermione.

"**Have you ever heard of a plan where so many things could go wrong?" **

"Yes." said Ron immediately. "How about all of Harry's plans? They usually don't end so well. Well, sometimes, we get the desired result, but the cost is always too high... And something always goes wrong..."

Sirius was glaring at Ron. "Way to boost my confidence, Ron." he snapped.

"This year, it's not so bad." Ron said quickly. "Harry didn't even almost die very many times this year."

"'Many times'?" Sirius asked with gritted teeth. "So he came close?"

Thinking of the giant Acromantulas in the forest, Ron shuddered, which made Sirius' worry jump in a spike.

**But to Harry's and Ron's utter amazement, stage one of the operation went just as smoothly as Hermione had said. **

"Never doubt Hermione." said Padma Patil confidently.

**They lurked in the deserted entrance hall after Christmas tea, waiting for Crabbe and Goyle who had remained alone at the Slytherin table, shoveling down fourth helpings of trifle. **

**Harry had perched the chocolate cakes on the end of the banisters. When they spotted Crabbe and Goyle coming out of the Great Hall, Harry and Ron hid quickly behind a suit of armour next to the front door. **

"**How thick can you get?" Ron whispered ecstatically as Crabbe gleefully pointed out the cakes to Goyle and grabbed them. **

Lee sniggered. "Idiots."

**Grinning stupidly, they stuffed the cakes whole into their large mouths. For a moment, both of them chewed greedily, looks of triumph on their faces. Then, without the smallest change of expression, they both keeled over backward onto the floor. **

Most of Gryffindor were struggling not to laugh, but it wasn't working too well.

**By far the hardest part was hiding them in the closet across the hall. Once they were safely stowed among the buckets and mops, **

Malfoy narrowed his eyes. He remembered meeting Crabbe and Goyle after the feast... if they were passed out in a closet...

**Harry yanked out a couple of the bristles that covered Goyle's forehead and Ron pulled out several of Crabbe's hairs. They also stole their shoes, because their own were far too small for Crabbe - and Goyle-size feet. **

Moody nodded. "Good thinking."

Hermione was looking at Ron stunned. "I didn't even think of that. Nice job Ron." she said appraisingly.

Ron flushed, and muttered something incoherent.

**Then, still stunned at what they had just done, they sprinted up to Moaning Myrtle's bathroom. They could hardly see for the thick black smoke issuing from the stall in which Hermione was stirring the cauldron. **

Snape clenched his hands into fists. That sounded right... it couldn't be right... a second year couldn't brew this correctly!

**Pulling their robes up over their faces, Harry and Ron knocked softly on the door. **"**Hermione?" **

**They heard the scrape of the lock and Hermione emerged, shiny-faced and looking anxious. Behind her they heard the gloop gloop of the bubbling, glutinous potion. Three glass tumblers stood ready on the toilet seat. **"**Did you get them?" Hermione asked breathlessly. Harry showed her Goyle's hair. **"**Good. And I sneaked these spare robes out of the laundry," Hermione said, holding up a small sack. "You'll need bigger sizes once you're Crabbe and Goyle." **

Sirius grinned smugly leaned back slightly.

"Erm... Sirius?" asked Remus.

"These three are really Marauder material. Polyjuice Potion in second year? They're naturals! Why didn't we ever think of that? Imagine all the trouble we could have caused..."

"And that, Black, is where the Trio differs from the Marauders." said Minerva. "You would cause trouble. They would try to stop it."

"Though in stopping it, they got themselves into more trouble than the Marauders ever did." said Snape with a sneer. "Just wait for the end of this year, Black, until you hear what your godson did. You'll forbid him from ever breaking any rules again."

"I would never do such a thing!" said Sirius in indignation.

Snape just smiled eerily. "Just wait. By the end of his second year, you'll be begging him to stay out of things that aren't his own business."

"Why?" asked Sirius anxiously.

Snape just kept smiling. "I'm sure you'd like to know."

**The three of them stared into the cauldron. Close up, the potion looked like thick, dark mud, bubbling sluggishly. **

This wiped the grin off of Snape's face. That sounded exactly right.

"**I'm sure I've done everything right," said Hermione, nervously rereading the splotched page of Moste Potente Potions. "It looks like the book says it should… once we've drunk it, we'll have exactly an hour before we change back into ourselves." **

"**Now what?" Ron whispered. **

"**We separate it into three glasses and add the hairs." Hermione ladled large dollops of the potion into each of the glasses. Then, her hand trembling, she shook Millicent Bulstrode's hair out of its bottle into the first glass. **

**The potion hissed loudly like a boiling kettle and frothed madly. A second later, it had turned a sick sort of yellow. **

Moody grinned evilly as he said, on purpose of course, extremely loudly, "You know the color of your Polyjuice mirrors your soul?"

Millicent's face heated.

"**Urgh — essence of Millicent Bulstrode," said Ron, eyeing it with loathing. "Bet it tastes disgusting." **

"**Add yours, then," said Hermione. **

**Harry dropped Goyle's hair into the middle glass and Ron put Crabbe's into the last one. Both glasses hissed and frothed: Goyle's turned the khaki color of a booger, **

"Gross." said the twins together.

**Crabbe's a dark, murky brown. **

"Eugh." Lee shuddered. "I don't envy any of you. Drinking essence of Slytherin? Disgusting!"

"**Hang on," said Harry as Ron and Hermione reached for their glasses. "We'd better not all drink them in here… Once we turn into Crabbe and Goyle we won't fit. **

"Good, Potter." praised Moody. "Kid's got his head on straight."

**And Millicent Bulstrode's no pixie."**

Millicent was starting to get really angry.

"**Good thinking," said Ron, unlocking the door. "We'll take separate stalls." **

**Careful not to spill a drop of his Polyjuice Potion, Harry slipped into the middle stall. **"**Ready?" he called. **

"**Ready," came Ron's and Hermione's voices. **

"**One — two — three —" Pinching his nose, Harry drank the potion down in two large gulps. It tasted like overcooked cabbage. **

Harry's eye's shot open. He wasn't asleep anymore. To sleep while experiencing the unpleasant and painful effects of Polyjuice Potion was impossible. He sat up quickly, making those around him gasp. He felt like he was going to be sick. Since he had been sleeping, he had no idea what he was feeling.

**Immediately, his insides started writhing as though he'd just swallowed live snakes**

Harry covered his arms over his stomach as he felt the unpleasant sensation.

Sirius patted him on the back, trying to comfort him.

Tonks just winced sympathetically. She, as an Auror, had taken Polyjuice a few times as well. It wasn't pleasant at all.

— **doubled up, he wondered whether he was going to be sick — then a burning sensation spread rapidly from his stomach to the very ends of his fingers and toes — next, bringing him gasping to all fours, came a horrible melting feeling, as the skin all over his body bubbled like hot wax**

Harry's skin didn't bubble, but it sure felt like it. He was gasping just like his book self.

"Breathe, Harry." said Remus cautiously.

— **and before his eyes, his hands began to grow, the fingers thickened, the nails broadened, the knuckles were bulging like bolts — his shoulders stretched painfully and a prickling on his forehead told him that hair was creeping down toward his eyebrows — his robes ripped as his chest expanded like a barrel bursting its hoops — his feet were agony in shoes four sizes too small. **

Harry's body did not change, but his feet were smarting like mad.

**As suddenly as it had started, everything stopped. Harry lay facedown on the stone-cold floor, listening to Myrtle gurgling morosely in the end toilet. **

"It's over, Harry." said Sirius comfortingly.

Harry looked up, grimacing slightly. "That was worse than being woke up by Aunt Petunia."

There were a few hesitant smiles, and then some laughed.

Sirius' face darkened. "Don't mention your idiot relatives to me, Harry, or I'll become a real murderer."

Harry's face went red as he slowly remembered why he had been asleep in the first place. He had lost it, hadn't he? "Sirius, I-

Sirius just enveloped him in a hug. "You don't need to apologize. You were completely right. We promised to be there, and we weren't."

"No, Sirius, I am sorry." he said desperately. "I shouldn't have said any of that! Just knowing you care is more than I ever had before-

"Damn it Harry, you're horrible at making people feel better."

Harry smiled sheepishly before finally pulling back from Sirius' hug. "I am sorry."

Sirius stared at his godson for a moment before sniffing. "Me too, Harry. Me too."

"So... that was Polyjuice, wasn't it?"

"How'd you guess?" asked Ron, cuffing his friend on the back.

"Like I'd ever forget that sensation." Harry laughed. "Why aren't I changed though? I still look like me."

Ron shrugged. "Beats me."

"How's your arm, Harry?" asked Hermione.

"It's all right." said Harry.

"Don't even think about lying to us Harry, you've already don that enough-

Harry interrupted Ginny with a kiss. "You're beautiful." he told her.

Ginny blushed and gave him a small smile.

Hermione narrowed her eyes. Man Harry was good at changing subject.

"Keep reading." said Fudge irritably.

A few people jumped, they had forgotten the Minister was there.

**With difficulty, he kicked off his shoes and stood up. So this was what it felt like, being Goyle. His large hand trembling, he pulled off his old robes, which were hanging a foot above his ankles, pulled on the spare ones, and laced up Goyle's boatlike shoes. **

**He reached up to brush his hair out of his eyes and met only the short growth of wiry bristles, low on his forehead. Then he realized that his glasses were clouding his eyes because Goyle obviously didn't need them — he took them off and called, "Are you two okay?" **

"No." sighed Ron.

"What?" asked Mrs. Weasley quickly.

"You'll see Mum."

Hermione's face was turning pink.

**Goyle's low rasp of a voice issued from his mouth. **

"**Yeah," came the deep grunt of Crabbe from his right. **

**Harry unlocked his door and stepped in front of the cracked mirror. Goyle stared back at him out of dull, deep-set eyes. Harry scratched his ear. So did Goyle. **

The twins snorted.

**Ron's door opened. They stared at each other. Except that he looked pale and shocked, Ron was indistinguishable from Crabbe, from the pudding-bowl haircut to the long, gorilla arms. **

"Gorilla arms." Fred chuckled.

"**This is unbelievable," said Ron, approaching the mirror and prodding Crabbe's flat nose. "Unbelievable." **

"**We'd better get going," said Harry, loosening the watch that was cutting into Goyle's thick wrist. "We've still got to find out where the Slytherin common room is. **

"What?" barked Moody. "All that planning and preparing and you never found out such important information? I had such high hopes..."

"They were twelve," said Tonks exasperatedly.

"That's no excuse." he grumbled in reply.

**I only hope we can find someone to follow…" **

**Ron, who had been gazing at Harry, said, "You don't know how bizarre it is to see Goyle thinking." **

The twins couldn't help it anymore. They burst out laughing.

Viola couldn't hold back a small smile.

**He banged on Hermione's door. "C'mon, we need to go —" **

**A high-pitched voice answered him. **"**I — I don't think I'm going to come after all. You go on without me." **

Smiles around the room began to slowly fade. "What happened?"

"**Hermione, we know Millicent Bulstrode's ugly, no one's going to know it's you —" **

Millicent looked outraged, but all of Gryffindor was laughing again.

"**No — really — I don't think I'll come. You two hurry up, you're wasting time —" **

**Harry looked at Ron, bewildered. **

"**That looks more like Goyle," said Ron. "That's how he looks every time a teacher asks him a question." **

Goyle, oblivious to the fact that he was being insulted, just looked around stupidly.

"**Hermione, are you okay?" said Harry through the door. **

"**Fine — I'm fine — go on —" **

**Harry looked at his watch. Five of their precious sixty minutes had already passed. **"**We'll meet you back here, all right?" he said. **

**Harry and Ron opened the door of the bathroom carefully, checked that the coast was clear, and set off. **

"**Don't swing your arms like that," Harry muttered to Ron. **

"**Eh?" **

"Eh?" asked Fred.

"Eh?" repeated George. They both screwed up their eyes and bent their backs while making their voices shaky and weak, successfully making their voices sound like old men. "You say sumthin'?"

"What?" asked Fred.

"What?" asked George.

"I said what?" said Fred.

"Oh. I asked if you said something."

"Eh?" asked Fred again. "What was that? You say sumthin' again?"

By now, the entire student body was in laughter.

"**Crabbe holds them sort of stiff…" **

Many people raised their eyebrows. "How do you know that?" asked Zacharias.

Harry shrugged. "I don't know... I just... knew..."

Ron snorted. "Well that helps; I'm so glad you cleared that up for us, mate."

Moody was smiling again, and the sight wasn't pretty. "You are going to be a damn good Auror."

"He's not going to be an Auror." Umbridge muttered to herself. "The ministry would never accept him.

"**How's this?" **

"**Yeah, that's better…" **

**They went down the marble staircase. All they needed now was a Slytherin that they could follow to the Slytherin common room, but there was nobody around. **

"**Any ideas?" muttered Harry. **

"**The Slytherins always come up to breakfast from over there," said Ron, nodding at the entrance to the dungeons. **

"That's a good start." said Viola.

**The words had barely left his mouth when a girl with long, curly hair emerged from the entrance. **

"**Excuse me," said Ron, hurrying up to her. "We've forgotten the way to our common room." **

Angelina giggled. "Again, with anyone else, that would be stupid, but since it's Crabbe, no one will be suspicious in the least."

"**I beg your pardon?" said the girl stiffly. "Our common room? I'm a Ravenclaw." **

Angelina laughed harder.

**She walked away, looking suspiciously back at them. **

**Harry and Ron hurried down the stone steps into the darkness, their footsteps echoing particularly loudly as Crabbe's and Goyle's huge feet hit the floor, feeling that this wasn't going to be as easy as they had hoped. **

**The labyrinthine passages were deserted. They walked deeper and deeper under the school, constantly checking their watches to see how much time they had left. After a quarter of an hour, just when they were getting desperate, they heard a sudden movement ahead. **

"Is it the monster?" asked Sirius, suddenly alert.

"**Ha!" said Ron excitedly. "There's one of them now!" **

"Oh..." he breathed a sigh of relief.

**The figure was emerging from a side room. As they hurried nearer, however, their hearts sank. It wasn't a Slytherin, it was Percy. **

Percy's mouth fell open. That had been his brother and his best friend.

"**What're you doing down here?" said Ron in surprise. **

**Percy looked affronted. **"**That," he said stiffly, "is none of your business. It's Crabbe, isn't it?" **

"**Wh — oh, yeah," said Ron. **

"Slick, Ronald." laughed Ginny.

"**Well, get off to your dormitories," said Percy sternly. "It's not safe to go wandering around dark corridors these days." **

"Hark, who's talking?" Ginny called up to Percy who looked pointedly at the floor.

"**You are," Ron pointed out. **

"**I," said Percy, drawing himself up, "am a prefect. Nothing's about to attack me." **

"Being a prefect doesn't make you invincible, Percy." said Fred, rolling his eyes.

"No, just makes you a prat, apparently." said George.

**A voice suddenly echoed behind Harry and Ron. Draco Malfoy was strolling toward them, and for the first time in his life, Harry was pleased to see him. **

"First and last." Harry mumbled.

"**There you are," he drawled, looking at them. "Have you two been pigging out in the Great Hall all this time? I've been looking for you; I want to show you something really funny." Malfoy glanced witheringly at Percy. **"**And what're you doing down here, Weasley?" he sneered. **

**Percy looked outraged. **"**You want to show a bit more respect to a school prefect!" he said. "I don't like your attitude!" **

**Malfoy sneered and motioned for Harry and Ron to follow him. Harry almost said something apologetic to Percy but caught himself just in time. **

Percy's face reddened. He wasn't sure what to think anymore...

**He and Ron hurried after Malfoy, who said as they turned into the next passage, "That Peter Weasley —" **

"**Percy," Ron corrected him automatically. **

"CONSTANT VIGILANCE!" shouted Moody. "A mistake like that could've blown the whole mission!"

"It's not an Auror mission, Mad-Eye!" called Tonks, rolling her eyes.

"Might as well be." he replied gruffly.

"**Whatever," said Malfoy. **"**I've noticed him sneaking around a lot lately. And I bet I know what he's up to. He thinks he's going to catch Slytherin's heir single-handed." He gave a short, derisive laugh. Harry and Ron exchanged excited looks. Malfoy paused by a stretch of bare, damp stone wall. **

"**What's the new password again?" he said to Harry. **

"**Er —" said Harry. **

"Fascinating!" cried Fred.

"What a wonderful password!" said George in mock admiration.

"Er!" cried Fred.

"And the doors will open!" announced George.

"**Oh, yeah — pure-blood!" said Malfoy, not listening, and a stone door concealed in the wall slid open. **

"And I thought Pig-Snout was bad." muttered Neville.

**Malfoy marched through it, and Harry and Ron followed him. **

**The Slytherin common room was a long, low underground room with rough stone walls and ceiling from which round, greenish lamps were hanging on chains. A fire was crackling under an elaborately carved mantelpiece ahead of them, and several Slytherins were silhouetted around it in high-backed chairs. **

"**Wait here," said Malfoy to Harry and Ron, motioning them to a pair of empty chairs set back from the fire. "I'll go and get it – my father's just sent it to me —" **

Malfoy was fuming. He was with Ron and Harry. In the Slytherin common room. With Ron and Harry. And he didn't even know. He was pink with both embarrassment and anger.

**Wondering what Malfoy was going to show them, Harry and Ron sat down, doing their best to look at home. **

**Malfoy came back a minute later, holding what looked like a newspaper clipping. He thrust it under Ron's nose. **"**That'll give you a laugh," he said. **

**Harry saw Ron's eyes widen in shock. He read the clipping quickly, gave a very forced laugh, and handed it to Harry. **

**It had been clipped out of the **_**Daily Prophet**_**, and it said: **

_**INQUIRY AT THE MINISTRY OF MAGIC **_

_**Arthur Weasley, Head of the Misuse of Muggle Artifacts Office, was today fined fifty Galleons for bewitching a Muggle car. **_

_**Mr. Lucius Malfoy, a governor of Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry, where the enchanted car crashed earlier this year, called today for Mr. Weasley's resignation. "Weasley has brought the Ministry into disrepute," Mr. Malfoy told our reporter. "He is clearly unfit to draw up our laws and his ridiculous Muggle Protection Act should be scrapped immediately. Mr. Weasley was unavailable for comment, although his wife told reporters to clear off or she'd set the family ghoul on them. **_

"Why, that's not funny at all." said Pavarti angrily at Malfoy.

"**Well?" said Malfoy impatiently as Harry handed the clipping back to him. "Don't you think it's funny?" **

"**Ha, ha," said Harry bleakly. **

"Harry, you are hilarious!" the twins roared in their laughter, trying to distract everyone from the article just read. Mr. Weasley wasn't looking to be in good spirits.

"**Arthur Weasley loves Muggles so much he should snap his wand in half and go and join them," said Malfoy scornfully. **"**You'd never know the Weasleys were pure-bloods, the way they behave." **

**Ron's — or rather, Crabbe's — face was contorted with fury. **

"**What's up with you, Crabbe?" snapped Malfoy. **

"Keep it together Weasley!" said Moody.

"**Stomachache," Ron grunted. **

"**Well, go up to the hospital wing and give all those Mudbloods a kick from me," said Malfoy, snickering. **

Snape was on his feet. "You will not speak that word, Malfoy." his tone was stern and angry.

Malfoy looked shocked and a tad bit put off. "All right... sir..."

"**You know, I'm surprised the Daily Prophet hasn't reported all these attacks yet," he went on thoughtfully. "I suppose Dumbledore's trying to hush it all up. He'll be sacked if it doesn't stop soon. Father's always said old Dumbledore's the worst thing that's ever happened to this place. He loves Muggle-borns. A decent headmaster would never've let slime like that Creevey in." **

The Creevey brothers looked down.

"Dumbledore is a great Headmaster." said Hermione sternly.

**Malfoy started taking pictures with an imaginary camera and did a cruel but accurate impression of Colin: "'Potter, can I have your picture, Potter? Can I have your autograph? Can I lick your shoes, please, Potter?"' **

"Man, Malfoy, you suck." said Fred casually.

"That's not even funny." said George.

**He dropped his hands and looked at Harry and Ron. **"**What's the matter with you two?" **

**Far too late, Harry and Ron forced themselves to laugh, but Malfoy seemed satisfied; perhaps Crabbe and Goyle were always slow on the uptake. **

Malfoy privately confirmed this to himself. They were a bit slow... but they were his friends...

"**Saint Potter, the Mudbloods' friend," said Malfoy slowly. "He's another one with no proper wizard feeling, or he wouldn't go around with that jumped up Granger Mudblood. **

Sirius started growling.

**And people think he's Slytherin's heir!" **

**Harry and Ron waited with bated breath: Malfoy was surely seconds away from telling them it was him — but then "I wish I knew who it is," said Malfoy petulantly. "I could help them." **

McGonagall was white in her rage. "Mr. Malfoy! That is taking it too far! Blatantly admitting to assist in the harming of muggleborns- I've never-" she could not continue in her fury.

Umbridge, thought she knew better than to say this out loud, agreed with the Malfoy boy fully. Muggleborns were a danger to wizard society.

**Ron's jaw dropped so that Crabbe looked even more clueless than usual. Fortunately, Malfoy didn't notice, and Harry, thinking fast, said, "You must have some idea who's behind it all…" **

"**You know I haven't, Goyle, how many times do I have to tell you?" snapped Malfoy. "And Father won't tell me anything about the last time the Chamber was opened either. Of course, it was fifty years ago, so it was before his time, but he knows all about it, and he says that it was all kept quiet and it'll look suspicious if I know too much about it. But I know one thing — last time the Chamber of Secrets was opened, a Mudblood died. So I bet it's a matter of time before one of them's killed this time… I hope it's Granger," he said with relish. **

"MR. MALFOY!" All the teachers were yelling in outrage and disgust.

Ron and Harry were on their feet, wands out. Harry was careful not to move his arm that only had half of his bones present.

Hermione's mouth was open slightly in shock and sadness. Harry and Ron hadn't told her that. She knew Malfoy didn't like her... but to want her dead?

Draco was caught by surprise by a twinge of guilt he had when he caught a glance at Hermione's face. He shouldn't be feeling guilty. He had meant it. But... but... he was so confused...

"Sit down, Harry, Ron." Remus said quietly, eyeing the Ministry workers who were staring at Harry. He knew that if Harry attacked Malfoy... even after what he'd said... Harry would likely be in trouble.

Very tense and angry, the two boys sat back down on either side of Hermione, each grabbing one of her hands and clutching it in their own. She looked gratefully at each of them, trying to ignore the tingling feeling her hand that Ron was holding had suddenly acquired.

**Ron was clenching Crabbe's gigantic fists. Feeling that it would be a bit of a giveaway if Ron punched Malfoy, **

Normally, the twins would have made a joke about this, but they were still glowering about what Malfoy had said. How dare he?!

**Harry shot him a warning look and said, "D'you know if the person who opened the Chamber last time was caught?" **

"**Oh, yeah… whoever it was was expelled," said Malfoy. "They're probably still in Azkaban."**

"**Azkaban?" said Harry, puzzled. **

"Poor naïve little Harry..." laughed Fred weakly.

"**Azkaban — the wizard prison, Goyle," said Malfoy, looking at him in disbelief "Honestly, if you were any slower, you'd be going backward." **

**He shifted restlessly in his chair and said, "Father says to keep my head down and let the Heir of Slytherin get on with it. He says the school needs ridding of all the Mudblood filth, but not to get mixed up in it. Of course, he's got a lot on his plate at the moment. You know the Ministry of Magic raided our manor last week?" **

**Harry tried to force Goyle's dull face into a look of concern. **

"**Yeah…" said Malfoy. "Luckily, they didn't find much. Father's got some very valuable Dark Arts stuff. But luckily, we've got our own secret chamber under the drawing-room floor —" **

Arthur perked up at this-

"**Ho!" said Ron. **

"Ho ho ho!" cried George.

"I'm Santa!" added Fred merrily.

Ginny giggled along with many others.

**Malfoy looked at him. So did Harry. Ron blushed. Even his hair was turning red. His nose was also slowly lengthening — their hour was up, Ron was turning back into himself, and from the look of horror he was suddenly giving Harry, he must be, too. They both jumped to their feet. **

Malfoy couldn't believe that they had gotten away with this. How had he not noticed?

"**Medicine for my stomach," Ron grunted, and without further ado they sprinted the length of the Slytherin common room, hurled themselves at the stone wall, and dashed up the passage, hoping against hope that Malfoy hadn't noticed anything. Harry could feel his feet slipping around in Goyle's huge shoes and had to hoist up his robes as he shrank; they crashed up the steps into the dark entrance hall, which was full of a muffled pounding coming from the closet where they'd locked Crabbe and Goyle. **

**Leaving their shoes outside the closet door, they sprinted in their socks up the marble staircase toward Moaning Myrtle's bathroom.**

"**Well, it wasn't a complete waste of time," Ron panted, closing the bathroom door behind them. "I know we still haven't found out who's doing the attacks, but I'm going to write to Dad tomorrow and tell him to check under the Malfoys' drawing room." **

Malfoy glared at Ron. He hated the lot of them. All the Weasleys.

**Harry checked his face in the cracked mirror. He was back to normal. He put his glasses on as Ron hammered on the door of Hermione's stall. **

"**Hermione, come out, we've got loads to tell you —" **

"**Go away!" Hermione squeaked. **

"Oh dear..." murmured Mrs. Weasley.

Madam Pomfrey sighed; well, at least she knew how Hermione turned into a cat now.

**Harry and Ron looked at each other. **

"**What's the matter?" said Ron. "You must be back to normal by now, we are." **

**But Moaning Myrtle glided suddenly through the stall door. Harry had never seen her looking so happy. **

"**Ooooooh, wait till you see," she said. "It's awful —" **

**They heard the lock slide back and Hermione emerged, sobbing, her robes pulled up over her head. **

"**What's up?" said Ron uncertainly. "Have you still got Millicent's nose or something?" **

"Now _that_ would have been awful." said Fred, shaking his head in sympathy.

"I would have killed myself from embarrassment." said George.

**Hermione let her robes fall and Ron backed into the sink. **

**Her face was covered in black fur. Her eyes had turned yellow and there were long, pointed ears poking through her hair. **

"**It was a c-cat hair!" she howled. "M-Millicent Bulstrode m-must have a cat! And the p-potion isn't supposed to be used for animal transformations!" **

"**Uh-oh," said Ron. **

"**You'll be teased something dreadful," said Myrtle happily. **

"**It's okay, Hermione," said Harry quickly. "We'll take you up to the hospital wing. Madam Pomfrey never asks too many questions…" **

"Good heavens, no. Could you imagine some of the things people come to me with? No. Sometimes it's better off not knowing." said Madam Pomfrey.

**It took a long time to persuade Hermione to leave the bathroom. **

**Moaning Myrtle sped them on their way with a hearty guffaw. "Wait till everyone finds out you've got a tail!" **

"Well... that's it." said Bill.

"Is it time for lunch then?" asked Ron.

"Make way for Santa!" cried Fred.

"He's hungry, and he wants food!" yelled George.

"Don't get in his way, or he'll-

"Hang on, how do you know about Santa?" asked Hermione.

"He was a wizard, Hermione." said Fred.

"He used the Floo Network to pop into everyone's chimneys." said George.

"How else would all his presents fit in his bag if he didn't have an extending charm?" asked Fred.

"He used a time turner to make sure he got everywhere in one night." said George.

"Oh my..." said Hermione, not having ever read that before. "Santa is a-a- a wizard?"

"Blimey Hermione," said Fred, rolling his eyes.

"And we thought you knew everything." added George.

A/N: Hope you like it, and please review.


	26. 2nd Author's Note

A/N: The newest chapter will be up soon :) Let's just hope that my story is here to stay this time.


	27. Aragog

A/N: Here we are; a long awaited chapter (a super long awaited one). After an extended period of silence from this story, enjoy :)

Hermione, still marveling at the new bit of information that Santa was actually a wizard, just sat there with her mouth slightly open. Now that she thought about it, it did make sense...

"My arm feels loads better." said Harry suddenly. "Can I ride my Firebolt now?"

"Absolutely not-" Mrs. Weasley started, but Madam Pomfrey sighed.

"Let me take a look at your arm, Potter." she said, standing up.

Hardly daring to get his hopes up, Harry quickly made his way to her side and presented his arm. She examined it quietly before looking at him a bit sadly. "Not quite yet Mr. Potter, but soon. I'd give it a few more hours before it's as good as new."

Harry, having expected this, just nodded resignedly. He made his way back to the floor with his head bowed and looking a little put out. Sirius patted his back a few times comfortingly before turning to bill. "I'll read next I think." After getting the book, he frowned. "What the hell is 'Aragog'?"

Ron immediately paled and Harry's eyes widened. Hermione perked up a bit. She hadn't been there for this... now she knew how Ron had felt while reading about their Forbidden Forest detention in First Year. Unbelievably anxious.

Hagrid sat up a bit straighter. He had talked with Aragog after he'd gotten back from Azkaban, but all his friend had said was that the meeting with Harry and Ron hadn't gone that well.

"Sirius," said Harry cautiously to the man who was looking extremely nervous just from seeing what the chapter title did to both Ron and Harry. "Maybe we should just... I don't think you should... why don't you let somebody else read?"

"Merlin Harry, what is Aragog?" asked Remus, perplexed.

"Not a what." Harry sighed. "It's a who."

Sirius' face immediately darkened. "It's not another one of Voldemort's followers, is it?"

"No!" said Harry quickly. "No, nothing like that, just... Professor," he said, looking up at McGonagall, "Cast that reading the book spell thing again-

"No." said Bill forcefully.

"What? Why?"

Bill sighed. "I've already said it... I've just got a bad feeling about that spell... like it's going to go wrong."

"What could possibly happen, though?" asked Fred.

"Oh, what horror!" cried George. "The book stopped reading!"

"Oh no! What a disaster!" added Fred dramatically.

Bill rolled his eyes. "I suppose you're right though... go ahead. Cast the spell.

Nobody noticed Umbridge get an excited look on her face. The Weasley brats were right, even if they didn't realize it. They had just unknowingly given her a new plan. A simple silencing charm and a shield charm would do it... if she just just silenced the book, it surely wouldn't cause much panic... but in combination with the binding spell, a silencing spell could keep Harry suspended in the pain of moment. Harry wouldn't stop hurting until the book Harry stopped hurting, which wouldn't happen if it was silenced. The shield would no doubt be necessary to place around the book in case anyone tried to re-enable the spell or approach it to read it. Her only problem now was when she should cast the spells. She wanted a real painful moment for Potter... and this legendary Chamber of Secrets monster sounded like the perfect opportunity. She allowed herself a small smile, marveled by her own brilliance. Potter would get what she deserved.

McGonagall cast the reading the book spell. Umbridge smirked knowingly in her anticipation and excitement.

**'Aragog' **it read.

**Summer was creeping over the grounds around the castle; sky and lake alike turned periwinkle blue and flowers large as cabbages burst into bloom in the greenhouses. But with no Hagrid **

"What do you mean, 'no Hagrid'?" asked Sirius suddenly. "Where is he?"

"Azkaban." said Hermione sadly.

Sirius immediately paled and stiffened. "Why the hell would Hagrid be in a horrid place like that?" he growled.

"I believe Fudge's words were that the Ministry's 'got to be seen to be doing something'." Harry answered in a dangerous voice.

Fudge bristled. "How would you know that, boy?"

Sirius jumped to his feet. "His name is Harry! I don't ever want to hear him being addressed as 'boy' ever again! First by that buffoon Dursley, then by that git," he said, pointing at Snape. "And now you! You have no right to even _look_ at him after what you've done to him. You and that idiotic hag of a woman." Sirius gestured in Umbridge's direction.

Harry was glaring at the Ministry from his spot on the floor. "You sent Hagrid away just to make yourself look good. You lost my respect for you years ago."

In the silence that followed, the book started reading itself again, though now the atmosphere was tense with hate and anger. Sirius reluctantly sat back down, noting the fact that there were a few Ministry workers present who would likely try and stop him if he attempted to throttle the Minister of Magic.

**visible from the castle windows, striding the grounds with Fang at his heels, the scene didn't look right to Harry; no better, in fact, than the inside of the castle, where things were so horribly wrong. **

**Harry and Ron had tried to visit Hermione, **

"Visit Hermione?" Tonks said questioningly.

"Hermione got petrified." said Ron in an oddly high and very non-Ron-like voice.

"I think... that's what convinced everyone that Harry wasn't Slytherin's heir... he would never attack Hermione." said Neville slowly.

Several people nodded.

"I would never attack anybody." Harry mumbled quietly. "Except maybe Malfoy." he added as an afterthought.

Ginny just looked miserable. Tom had been her whole life that year. He had been so enticing... he was so fascinating... he had comforted her, listened to her... he had been her best friend. Then it turned out he was actually Voldemort's younger self intent on killing so many of her friends, along with the man she loved... She turned to look at Harry who was still sitting next to her. He had been her hero that year. He had hardly known her, and he had risked his life for her. She suddenly had a swooping feeling somewhere in her stomach; Merlin... if he would do that then when she was just 'Ron's little sister', what would he do now? She stared at him worriedly. All a death eater would have to do would be to catch her unawares and Harry would do anything to help her. He would even turn himself in for her place.

"Ginny?" asked Harry, seeing her pale face. "What's wrong?"

"Harry..." she began with a deep breath. "Harry, I need you to promise me something."

"Anything."

"If there's ever a time... where it's my life or yours... promise me you won't give your own life for me."

Harry's eyes darkened. "Anything except that." he said sternly.

"Harry-

"No."

"Harry, please, listen-

"No! No Ginny. I'm not promising you that. I can't. I won't. Not now. Not ever."

"Harry-

"Ginny stop." Harry told her, his eyes looking oddly shiny. "I know where you're going with this. This is one thing I won't promise."

Ginny grabbed his hand and looked deep into his eyes. "Then promise me this. Promise that no matter what happens, you'll never give up... you'll never stop fighting."

Harry kissed her and said softly. "I promise."

Someone cleared their throat and the two tore their eyes away from each other with the most effort it had ever cost either of them.

"Sorry." said Ginny quietly. "I had to ask him something."

Harry squeezed her hand and she squeezed it back, glad to have the comfort.

**but visitors were now barred from the hospital wing. **

**We're taking no more chances," Madam Pomfrey told them severely through a crack in the infirmary door. "No, I'm sorry, there's every chance the attacker might come back to finish these people off…" **

"No... Voldemort's target had changed by then." said Harry quietly.

**With Dumbledore gone, **

"Hold it." said Sirius sternly. "What in Merlin's name is this?"

"With Dumbledore gone..." said Remus slowly.

"The governors saw it fit for my removal from Hogwarts." said Dumbledore gravely.

"Were blackmailed is more like it." Harry grumbled.

"Do you think it would've turned out differently if Dumbledore hadn't been kicked out?" asked Ron thoughtfully.

"I dunno, Ron." said Harry slowly. "Maybe, but..."

"But with your luck, no. Sorry Harry; stupid question."

Harry glared at Ron just for good measure.

**fear had spread as never before, so that the sun warming the castle walls outside seemed to stop at the mullioned windows. There was barely a face to be seen in the school that didn't look worried and tense, and any laughter that rang through the corridors sounded shrill and unnatural and was quickly stifled. **

**Harry constantly repeated Dumbledore's final words to himself ****"I will only truly have left this school when none here are loyal to me… Help will always be given at Hogwarts to those who ask for it." **

"Potter!" cried Fudge. "What-how-you weren't there-

"I was there." said Harry resignedly.

"You-you-" Fudge spluttered.

"Invisibility cloak." supplied Harry wearily. They were getting awfully close to the chamber now... his arm was still painful and soon he'd have to feel the pain of the basilisk.

"But-but-that's-

"At least I'm not the one who sent an innocent man to Azkaban to boost my public image!" Harry snapped.

"Harry?" asked Neville cautiously, noticing his friend's rising temper. "You all right?"

Harry closed his eyes and let out a long breath. "Fine, Neville... just a bit on edge."

"Because of Aragog?" asked Neville, the unfamiliar name feeling awfully strange on his tongue.

Harry gave him a small smile. "No... I'm just really stressed out."

"I can only imagine." said Neville sympathetically. "How's your arm?" he asked, a bit uncertainly.

"It twinges a bit. Nothing I can't handle."

"Anything in particular that's got you so stressed out?" asked Sirius suddenly.

"Other than the fact that all my life's secrets are being read allowed for all to hear and me to relive? No, nothing at all."

Sirius frowned. "Is there something coming up that I should know about?"

Harry's mind immediately went to the sixty foot poisonous snake whose skeleton likely still resided down in the chamber. "No." he lied easily. "Nothing too bad."

Sirius just narrowed his eyes, wondering if he should believe it.

**But what good were these words? Who exactly were they supposed to ask for help, when everyone was just as confused and scared as they were? Hagrid's hint about the spiders was far easier to understand. **

"What spiders? What hint?" asked Sirius.

"Before Hagrid was wrongly taken to Azkaban," Harry sent a glare at Fudge, "He told Ron and I that to find out valuable information, we would have to follow the spiders."

"Follow the spiders." he repeated blankly.

"Yup." said Harry, nodding.

"Brilliant." said Sirius, wondering why on Earth Ron's current complexion could pass him off as a ghost.

"Ron's terrified of spiders." Ginny whispered to Sirius. "Ever since he was little."

"Why?" asked Sirius.

"Fred and George." she replied, as if that explained everything.

"Ah." said Sirius. Apparently it did explain everything.

"It's his boggart." she added as afterthought.

Sirius raised his eyebrows. Spiders? The tiny little eight legged creatures that you could swat with a newspaper? Why would Ron, who battled a troll, sacrificed himself in a chess game and dared to risk the wrath of Molly Weasley by flying a car to Surrey and back, not to mention Hogwarts, be afraid of a tiny little arachnid?

**The trouble was, there didn't seem to be a single spider left in the castle to follow. **

**Harry looked everywhere he went, helped (rather reluctantly) by Ron. They were hampered, of course, by the fact that they weren't allowed to wander off on their own but had to move around the castle in a pack with the other Gryffindors. Most of their fellow students seemed glad that they were being shepherded from class to class by teachers, but Harry found it very irksome. **

Hermione snorted. "Only you, Harry."

Harry smiled sheepishly.

McGonagall looked irritated. "It was for your own safety, Potter. Merlin knows you need all the protection you can get."

"Fat load of help it did, though." said Ron quietly. Even with all the protection, Ginny still managed to get taken, and Harry still had to fight a Basilisk. Harry was right; everyone offered to help, but when it mattered... when it really mattered, he always ended up alone.

**One person, however, seemed to be thoroughly enjoying the atmosphere of terror and suspicion. **

"Three guesses who." Viola muttered under her breath.

**Draco Malfoy **

"What a surprise." she mumbled.

**was strutting around the school as though he had just been appointed Head Boy. **

**Harry didn't realize what he was so pleased about until the Potions lesson about two weeks after Dumbledore and Hagrid had left, when, sitting right behind Malfoy, Harry overheard him gloating to Crabbe and Goyle. **

**I always thought Father might be the one who got rid of Dumbledore," **

Mr. Weasley's face hardened.

As if he had been waiting for an introduction, Lucious Malfoy suddenly walked in the doors.

Harry visibly cringed and paled. All of those around Harry who knew what this man was immediately huddled a bit closer around him protectively.

"Well, well, well..." he said slowly, taking a few measured steps into the hall. "What have we here?"

Fudge stood and smiled jovially, while Madam Bones looked a bit apprehensive. "Ah, Lucious!" he exclaimed. "Glad you could make it! All your business has been taken care of, I trust?"

"What?" asked Lucious sharply.

"That meeting abroad you told me about. That is why you've only just arrived, is it not?"

"Ah. Yes. Of course. The business," his forearm flexed automatically where Harry knew lay the dark mark, and his eyes passed fleetingly over Snape, "Is all taken care of."

"Good, good; have a seat." said the Minister.

"ucious nodded and walked until he saw Harry where he stopped dead in his tracks. "Mr. Potter." he said softly.

Harry's friends all tensed, his Godfather especially, but Harry just sat there calmly. "Mr. Malfoy."

"You're looking well." said Lucious, his eyes slowly passing over Harry's body, at his arm that still looked like... well, not like an arm, to his pale face, and finally rested on the scar at his forehead.

Harry said nothing; he only gripped his wand tight in his robe pocket.

Lucious smiled silkily before turning away and following Fudge up to the front of the room, not even pausing to say hello to his son.

As Fudge explained to Lucious what was going on, Harry's friends all exchanged worried looks.

There was a Death Eater at Hogwarts.

**he said, not troubling to keep his voice down. **"**I told you he thinks Dumbledore's the worst headmaster the school's ever had. Maybe we'll get a decent headmaster now. Someone who won't want the Chamber of Secrets closed. **

Viola sent Malfoy a heated glare, strong enough to make him look down at his hands.

**McGonagall won't last long, she's only filling in…" **

**Snape swept past Harry, making no comment about Hermione's empty seat and cauldron. **

**Sir," said Malfoy loudly. "Sir, why don't ****you ****apply for the headmaster's job?" **

**Now, now, Malfoy," said Snape, though he couldn't suppress a thin-lipped smile. "Professor Dumbledore has only been suspended by the governors. I daresay he'll be back with us soon enough." **

**Yeah, right," said Malfoy, smirking. "I expect you'd have Father's vote, sir, if you wanted to apply for the job****— I'll ****tell Father you're the best teacher here, sir —" **

**Snape smirked as he swept off around the dungeon, fortunately not spotting Seamus Finnigan, who was pretending to vomit into his cauldron. **

Seamus turned red as he saw the potions teacher's face.

**I'm quite surprised the Mudbloods haven't all packed their bags by now," Malfoy went on. "Bet you five Galleons the next one dies. Pity it wasn't Granger —" **

"Mr. Malfoy!" shouted McGonagall; and she was the epitome of fury.

Lucious sent his son a glare. They were trying to stay inconspicuous and here Draco was, parading around making comments like that. He was going to arise suspicion on the entire Malfoy family if he wasn't careful.

Hermione looked completely shocked, and slightly hurt. She didn't like Malfoy, far from it in fact; and she knew he didn't like her either, but to want her dead? She turned to look at Malfoy who avoided her gaze.

"That is a serious thing to say!" McGonagall fumed. "I think detentions are in order to-

"Must I remind you, Minerva," said Dumbledore, who was looking strangely grim, "That we have restricted punishments during the reading." McGonagall tried to protest, but Dumbledore cut her off. "What's done is done. No punishments can be made for something the boy said years ago."

"Surely something as serious as _this_," began McGonagall, but she was interrupted again; this time by Amelia Bones.

"This does concern me." she said slowly. "What if someone does something serious? A terrible crime and gets away with it? Say, for instance, we hadn't discovered that Umbridge was using a Blood Quill, we'd have been forbidden to punish her for it?"

Many people looked thoughtful at that. "She has a point." growled Moody. "With Potter's attraction of trouble, we're bound to read about something like that soon."

Harry didn't not other to deny it. He concentrated; was there anything like that? Was there anyone who could get into huge trouble? The only people he could think of at the moment were himself, Ron, and Hermione.

"That is... a very valid argument." said Fudge slowly. "What do you think, Lucious?"

Lucious Malfoy seemed to have come to the same conclusion as Harry. His son told him how much trouble the trio got themselves into every year... maybe this would be a good thing... "I agree, Minister." he said silkily.

"What?" asked Draco, looking nervous.

"What? asked Ron and Harry, also looking anxious.

Fudge thought for a minute before nodding. "Punishments must be allowed, Dumbledore." he insisted.

Dumbledore looked to be thinking hard on something. "All school punishments will be left to me." he said slowly. "The Ministry will only be involved when and if something serious occurs."

Fudge clapped his hands. "Wonderful. You can deal with young Mr. Malfoy then, Albus."

Dumbledore looked at Draco, who was very pale indeed, before saying, "As I said, this was years ago. I will not be handing out detentions for something that has been put behind us. I think 20 points from Slytherin will suffice."

The Slytherins all groaned, but Fudge looked doubtful. "You won't punish any students, for anything?" he asked.

Dumbledore sighed. "I will punish those who I see fit and only when necessary."

Harry, Ron, and Hermione shifted nervously.

Sirius noticed and face palmed.

**The bell rang at that moment, which was lucky; at Malfoy's last words, Ron had leapt off his stool, and in the scramble to collect bags and books, his attempts to reach Malfoy went unnoticed. **

Hermione grinned sadly at Ron, still put out about what Draco had said. Ron turned red as a tomato.

Harry, with rising spirits, noticed his arm wasn't so immovable anymore. He couldn't exactly control it, but it didn't just do nothing when he tried to move it. His spirits quickly fell again as he realized what was yet in store for him. The binding spell was still active. He was likely to be in much more pain than a simple boneless arm, soon. He frowned, trying to remember if he had gotten hurt in any way in the Forbidden Forest with Aragog... he wasn't sure...

**Let me at him," Ron growled as Harry and Dean hung onto his arms. "I don't care, I don't need my wand, I'm going to kill him with my bare hands —" **

"A death threat, Headmaster." Lucious said suddenly. "That is worthy of punishment."

Dumbledore raised his eyebrows. "I told you; I punish as I see fit. Not you, Lucious."

Mr. Malfoy looked furious, but not as furious as Mr. Weasley. "And how was young Draco's comment before any different?" he snapped. "My son was just protecting his friend."

"A biased opinion." Lucious shot back. "You are his father."

"And you're _his_ father!" yelled Arthur, pointing at Draco.

"Now, now, Arthur, Lucious, calm down. This is a peaceful reading." said Fudge, looking rather disgruntled.

Many people snorted. Peaceful. This reading has been anything but.

**Hurry up, I've got to take you all to Herbology," barked Snape over the class's heads, and off they marched, with Harry, Ron, and Dean bringing up the rear, Ron still trying to get loose. **

"Oh, Ron." sighed Hermione fondly. "Don't get yourself in trouble on my account."

Ron's ears reddened. "Yeah, well, you weren't there, Hermione. Malfoy was being a real git."

**It was only safe to let go of him when Snape had seen them out of the castle and they were making their way across the vegetable patch toward the greenhouses. The Herbology class was very subdued; there were now two missing from their number, Justin and Hermione. **

**Professor Sprout set them all to work pruning the Abyssinian Shrivelfigs. Harry went to tip an armful of withered stalks onto the compost heap and found himself face-to-face with Ernie Macmillan.**

"Merlin," muttered George annoyed. "What's that idiot got to say?"

**Ernie took a deep breath and said, very formally, "I just want to say, Harry, that I'm sorry I ever suspected you. I know you'd never attack Hermione Granger, **

Hermione looked angry at this. "He'd never attack anyone!" she said affronted, repeating Harry's earlier words. "It's not just me! Harry is a good person! He'd likely risk his life for some random person on the street! No, not likely; he would. No doubt in my mind."

Harry turned very red. "Thanks, Hermione." he said quietly.

**and I apologize for all the stuff I said. We're all in the same boat now, and, well —" He held out a pudgy hand, and Harry shook it. **

"And he's the most forgiving person I know." added Hermione.

"Honestly, Harry." said Ron, "You didn't have to forgive him so quickly. I know I didn't."

"Yeah, I know you didn't." said Harry. "But he was sincere, so..." he shrugged.

He did not notice all the fond looks he was getting from many of his friends and teachers... and girls.

**Ernie and his friend Hannah came to work at the same Shrivelfig as Harry and Ron. **

**That Draco Malfoy character," said Ernie, breaking off dead twigs, "he seems very pleased about all this, doesn't he? D'you know, I think ****he ****might be Slytherin's heir." **

"Bit behind the times, Ernie." said Fred.

"Yeah," said George, "Harry and Ron already used Polyjuice to find that out."

"I still can't believe they thought it was Harry." Remus muttered to Sirius. "Harry is just so... so... I mean he's Harry. He would never-

"I know what you mean." Sirius sighed. "Harry should have been the last person anyone suspected; you know, maybe other than Neville, Dumbledore, and Ginny."

Remus smiled; those three were also way down on his list of suspects. He was trying to find out who the Heir was, and they were some of the ones who were in the group of people he knew would never do it.

**That's clever of you," said Ron, who didn't seem to have forgiven Ernie as readily as Harry. **

"Of course not!" said Ron, aghast. "He was being a right foul git to my best mate, wasn't he!"

"Hypocrite!" Draco sang with an evil smile. "You know, Weasley, you're not as loyal a friend as you make yourself out to be."

Ron turned red again, but this time it was with shame and anger. Malfoy really knew what buttons to press. The only reason he didn't yell back was because he agreed. He saw some of his family and Remus and Sirius all looking at him curiously, but he just shook his head. They'd find out soon enough. In their fourth year.

**Do you think it's Malfoy, Harry?" Ernie asked. **

**No," said Harry, so firmly that Ernie and Hannah stared. **

"That makes a bit more sense to me now." said Ernie thoughtfully.

Hannah shook her head. "That made me so confused..."

**A second later, Harry spotted something. **

"Merlin, what now?" asked Sirius.

**Several large spiders were scuttling over the ground on the other side of the glass, moving in an unnaturally straight line as though taking the shortest route to a prearranged meeting. **

"Oh... Hagrid's hint!" Sirius exclaimed, as if he had just solved the problem of world hunger. "Follow the spiders! That's what he said!"

"Very good, Sirius." said Remus, deciding to humor him.

**Harry hit Ron over the hand with his pruning shears. **

"Mate you are lucky I'm not under the binding spell too; that hurt!"

Harry grinned sheepishly. "I was distracted! I didn't mean to hit you so hard."

Ron rolled his eyes, but he had to repress a smile.

**Ouch! ****What're you —" **

**Harry pointed out the spiders, following their progress with his eyes screwed up against the sun. **

**Oh, yeah," said Ron, trying, and failing, to look pleased. **

"That obvious, huh?" asked Ron with a sideways smile.

"Well, not surprising," said Fred.

"We all know how bad you three are at lying." said George.

**But we can't follow them now —" Ernie and Hannah were listening curiously. **

**Harry's eyes narrowed as he focused on the spiders. If they pursued their fixed course, there could be no doubt about where they would end up. **

"Oh no." said Remus suddenly. Please tell me I'm wrong. Please- Harry, please tell me what I'm thinking isn't right?"

Harry bit his lip and looked down.

Remus groaned as Sirius looked nervous. "Why, what do you mean, Remus?"

"**Looks like they're heading for the Forbidden Forest…" **

"Am I never going to get a moment of peace in this book?" asked Sirius faintly.

**And Ron looked even unhappier about that. **

Remus suddenly looked very impressed. "Your boggart." he said suddenly.

"Yeah..." Ron said slowly.

"Your boggart is a spider!"

"I know that." Ron shivered.

"You faced your greatest fear for Hermione." said Lupin.

Both Hermione and Ron's faces turned red this time.

"Yeah, well..." said Ron. "She's... well she's... one of my best friends. I'd do the same for Harry, and I know she'd do the same for us, and Harry would pretty much do anything for Hermione and I. That's what you do for your friends."

Harry and Hermione beamed. "Truer words never been said." said Hermione.

The students of Hogwarts were in awe. The trio were closer than they had ever imagined. They were everything you could ask for in a friend.

**At the end of the lesson Professor Sprout escorted the class to their Defense Against the Dark Arts lesson. Harry and Ron lagged behind the others so they could talk out of earshot. **

"Next time I see you three alone in a corner again," said Fred, "I'm going to come and listen."

"Definitely." said George. "Now we know that when you three talk in secret, it's for good reason. Next time, I want in on one of your adventures."

"Me too." said Fred. "It's much more exciting than planning your next prank."

Harry paled slightly. "Exciting..." he muttered. "Not the word I'd give it."

"What would you call it?" asked Neville curiously.

Harry looked at him with blank eyes, almost like he wasn't seeing him. "Terrifying."

The one word sent a shiver throughout everyone who had heard.

"I thought you were brave, Potter." Draco sneered.

Viola glared. "Bravery isn't being afraid of nothing, Malfoy." she spat. "It's doing the right thing, even when you're scared."

"Well then, Potter's not as brave as we give him credit for." said someone from the Hufflepuff table.

"What makes you say that?" snapped Ron, defending his friend.

"Harry Potter doesn't get scared." they replied simply.

"You know, I used to think that too." Ron growled. "Now I know how wrong I was."

The person scoffed, as did many others. They did not believe him.

"Have you all forgotten what we've read?" Ron asked in disbelief. "Isn't that enough?"

Apparently it wasn't. People saw Harry as this invincible being. They saw him as an amazing, undefeatable, fearless hero. Ron use to see him like that too. Now he finally understood. He knew now why Harry got so angry at them when he and Hermione would tell him what he'd done. He understood how that made him feel. It sickened him that he had been so naïve, before. Harry had been scared. He'd only done what he'd needed to do to stay alive. To survive. He didn't want praise for something like that. For something he shouldn't be having to worry about in the first place. For something he probably just wanted to forget about, while people just kept asking questions. He understood now, why those questions made Harry so angry. They expected an amazing story of how he conquered evil, when really, Harry was just doing everything in his power to stay alive.

"If that's not enough for you," said Ron angrily, "Then maybe you aren't listening."

Harry looked at his friend in shock. Ron clapped him on the shoulder and avoided his eyes.

"**We'll have to use the Invisibility Cloak again," Harry told Ron. **"**We can take Fang with us. He's used to going into the forest with Hagrid, he might be some help." **

"Ruddy dog." Malfoy mumbled. "No help at all, he is."

**Right," said Ron, who was twirling his wand nervously in his fingers. "Er — aren't there — aren't there supposed to be werewolves in the forest?" he added as they took their usual places at the back of Lockhart's classroom. **

"That again?" asked Lupin in surprise. He sighed, "I guess I should have expected..." he trailed off in a nostalgic remembrance.

**Preferring not to answer that question, Harry said, "There are good things in there, too. The centaurs are all right, **

Umbridge bristled.

**and the unicorns…" **

**Ron had never been into the Forbidden Forest before. Harry had entered it only once and had hoped never to do so again. **

"It's not like I wanted to go in there." Harry told Remus, as if searching for approval. "There was nobody we could tell! Dumbledore was gone! Hermione was gone! There was no one we could go to!"

"You could have come to me." said McGonagall sternly.

"Really, Professor? You would have allowed us to go into the Forbidden Forest to follow the spiders without any real reason as to why that would be helpful?"

"Well, no, but-

"If we hadn't gone in there, we may have never found the Chamber of Secrets, and the school would likely be closed right now. Not to mention-

_Voldemort would have returned two years earlier than he did. _He thought the last part in his head, painfully aware of the look Remus and Sirius were giving him.

McGonagall sighed. "I suppose... It was all very noble... but your safety... there should have been a better..."

Harry just shook his head. "I don't go looking for danger, Professor. I only do what I have to. I had to follow the spiders, so I had to go in the Forest. You just read that I never wanted to again, but I had no choice."

"Yes you did!" Mrs. Weasley cried sadly. "You didn't have to go!"

Harry tried to keep his temper. "It fell on my shoulders yet again to-

"But why was it on your shoulders at all?" asked Sirius. "It shouldn't have-

"Nobody else was doing it!" snapped Harry, losing control of his frustration. "I did it, because I was the only one willing. Anybody else could have found out what we did. Anybody else could have gone the measures to figure this out as we did. But did anybody? No. It was up to us."

There was an uncomfortable silence, in which many just stared at Harry in shock, some in admiration.

**Lockhart bounded into the room and the class stared at him. Every other teacher in the place was looking grimmer than usual, but Lockhart appeared nothing short of buoyant. **"**Come now," he cried, beaming around him. "Why all these long faces?"**

"Is he serious?" asked Tonks, eyebrows raised.

**People swapped exasperated looks, but nobody answered. **

"**Don't you people realize," said Lockhart, speaking slowly, as though they were all a bit dim, **"**the danger has passed! The culprit has been taken away —" **

"**Says who?" said Dean Thomas loudly. **

"**My dear young man, the Minister of Magic wouldn't have taken Hagrid if he hadn't been one hundred percent sure that he was guilty," **

Everyone turned to look at Fudge who reddened slightly.

**said Lockhart, in the tone of someone explaining that one and one made two. **

"**Oh, yes he would," said Ron, even more loudly than Dean. **

"Way to go Ronnie!" Fred and George whisper cheered at their brother who smiled at them.

"**I flatter myself I know a ****touch ****more about Hagrid's arrest than you do, Mr. Weasley," said Lockhart in a self-satisfied tone. **

Ron snorted.

**Ron started to say that he didn't think so, somehow, but stopped in midsentence when Harry kicked him hard under the desk. **"**We weren't there, remember?" Harry muttered. **

Moody nodded approvingly. "Good, Potter."

**But Lockhart's disgusting cheeriness, his hints that he had always thought Hagrid was no good, his confidence that the whole business was now at an end, irritated Harry so much that he yearned to throw ****Gadding with Ghouls ****right in Lockhart's stupid face. **

Dean smiled widely. "That would have been brilliant! You should have done it, Harry!"

**Instead he contented himself with scrawling a note to Ron: ****Let's do it tonight. **

Everyone felt the familiar sensation of their hearts speeding up as they grew excited or scared for the next adventure.

**Ron read the message, swallowed hard, and looked sideways at the empty seat usually filled by Hermione. The sight seemed to stiffen his resolve, and he nodded. **

Hermione grabbed Ron's hand and squeezed it in thanks, holding on slightly longer than necessary.

**The Gryffindor common room was always very crowded these days, because from six o'clock onward the Gryffindors had nowhere else to go. They also had plenty to talk about, with the result that the common room often didn't empty until past midnight. **

"Well, that's all fine and dandy." mumbled Sirius, falling into one of his moods again as Harry and Ron yet again walked into danger. He wasn't going to yell at his godson this time though. He thought he finally understood why Harry did what he did. Harry was right; he only did it because he was the only one who would. That didn't make him feel any less worried, but it did make him feel slightly better that he wasn't just walking willingly into danger.

**Harry went to get the Invisibility Cloak out of his trunk right after dinner, and spent the evening sitting on it, waiting for the room to clear. **

**Fred and George challenged Harry and Ron to a few games of Exploding Snap, and Ginny sat watching them, very subdued in Hermione's usual chair. **

A tear fell unnoticed down Ginny's cheek.

**Harry and Ron kept losing on purpose, trying to finish the games quickly, **

"I knew it was too easy!" exclaimed Fred in realization.

"We thought we were just really lucky." said George.

**but even so, it was well past midnight when Fred, George, and Ginny finally went to bed. Harry and Ron waited for the distant sounds of two dormitory doors closing before seizing the cloak, throwing it over themselves, and climbing through the portrait hole. **

**It was another difficult journey through the castle, dodging all the teachers. At last they reached the entrance hall, slid back the lock on the oak front doors, squeezed between them, trying to stop any creaking, and stepped out into the moonlit grounds. **

"**Course," said Ron abruptly as they strode across the black grass, "we might get to the forest and find there's nothing to follow. Those spiders might not've been going there at all. I know it looked like they were moving in that sort of general direction, but…" His voice trailed away hopefully. **

"There's ever optimistic Ron." sighed Hermione with a grin.

"Yeah, well, somebody's got to make up for Harry's pessimism." said Ron matter-of-factly.

**They reached Hagrid's house, sad and sorry-looking with its blank windows. When Harry pushed the door open, Fang went mad with joy at the sight of them. Worried he might wake everyone at the castle with his deep, booming barks, they hastily fed him treacle fudge from a tin on the mantelpiece, which glued his teeth together. **

**Harry left the Invisibility Cloak on Hagrid's table. There would be no need for it in the pitch-dark forest. **

"**C'mon, Fang, we're going for a walk," said Harry, **

"Well, I suppose that's one thing you can call it." said Angelina faintly.

**patting his leg, and Fang bounded happily out of the house behind them, dashed to the edge of the forest, and lifted his leg against a large sycamore tree. **

**Harry took out his wand, murmured, ****"Lumos!" ****and a tiny light appeared at the end of it, just enough to let them watch the path for signs of spiders. **

"**Good thinking," said Ron. "I'd light mine, too, but you know — it'd probably blow up or something…" **

A few people snorted.

**Harry tapped Ron on the shoulder, pointing at the grass. Two solitary spiders were hurrying away from the wandlight into the shade of the trees. **

"I bet that made him happy." said Dean grimly.

"**Okay," Ron sighed as though resigned to the worst, "I'm ready. **

"Biggest lie of my entire life." Ron shuddered. "Nothing could have prepared me for-

Harry elbowed his friend with his good arm, cutting him off.

Sirius looked at Ron. "Prepared you for what?" he asked resignedly.

"For... the, erm... really long walk."

Harry face palmed while Fred and George snorted with laughter.

**Let's go." **

**So, with Fang scampering around them, sniffing tree roots and leaves, they entered the forest. By the glow of Harry's wand, they followed the steady trickle of spiders moving along the path. They walked behind them for about twenty minutes, **

Everyone was looking serious by now. All jokes, pleasant chats, and sarcasm had stopped. Twenty minutes. They must be extremely deep in the Forest... at past midnight... to meet who knows what.

**not speaking, listening hard for noises other than breaking twigs and rustling leaves. **

**Then, when the trees had become thicker than ever, so that the stars overhead were no longer visible, and Harry's wand shone alone in the sea of dark, they saw their spider guides leaving the path. **

Sirius paled. "Please don't tell me you leave the path."

"Okay." said Harry.

Sirius groaned. "All right. Go ahead. Tell me you leave the path."

"We leave the path." Ron supplied him.

**Harry paused, trying to see where the spiders were going, but everything outside his little sphere of light was pitch-black. He had never been this deep into the forest before. He could vividly remember Hagrid advising him not to leave the forest path last time he'd been in here. **

"Harry!" Hermione reprimanded, "If Hagrid, of all people, warned you against it, you should definitely not-

"Hagrid was gone, Hermione." said Harry dully.

She frowned.

**But Hagrid was miles away now, probably sitting in a cell in Azkaban, and he had also said to follow the spiders. **

**Something wet touched Harry's hand and he jumped backward, **

Many people jumped as well-

**crushing Ron's foot, but it was only Fang's nose. **

But they soon relaxed.

"**What d'you reckon?" Harry said to Ron, whose eyes he could just make out, reflecting the light from his wand. **

"**We've come this far," said Ron. **

"Stupid. Stupid thing to say." said Ron to himself. "I should've said, 'all hope is lost, let's turn back', or something like, 'we'll never be able to follow them off the path, we should go'."

**So they followed the darting shadows of the spiders into the trees. **

Remus frowned. Ron was acting very skittish. He was trying to think of everything that lived in the Forest that could be making him act like this, but nothing in particular came to mind... there were so many dangerous things in the Forest, it was impossible to discern which one they might encounter...

**They couldn't move very quickly now; there were tree roots and stumps in their way, barely visible in the near blackness. Harry could feel Fang's hot breath on his hand. More than once, they had to stop, so that Harry could crouch down and find the spiders in the wandlight. **

**They walked for what seemed like at least half an hour, **

Faces around the room paled dramatically, especially the teachers. Everyone knew the more dangerous creatures were farther in.

**their robes snagging on low-slung branches and brambles. After a while, they noticed that the ground seemed to be sloping downward, though the trees were as thick as ever. Then Fang suddenly let loose a great, echoing bark, making both Harry and Ron jump out of their skins. **

**What?" said Ron loudly, looking around into the pitch-dark, and gripping Harry's elbow very hard. **

Ron looked at Harry with a frown.

"What?" asked Harry self consciously.

"The book said I gripped you very hard. That means you feel it now, right?"

Harry felt his cheeks redden slightly. "Well, yeah..."

"You can't hide it from us now, Harry." said Hermione. "Any pain you mask over, the book will tell us you feel."

Harry gritted his teeth. How often had he been hurt and not told them? He was sure to get a good telling off for it soon.

"**There's something moving over there," Harry breathed. "Listen… sounds like something big…" **

"Ooh," said Luna interestedly, "I wonder what it is."

**They listened. Some distance to their right, the something big was snapping branches as it carved a path through the trees. **

Sirius held his breath. Remus was pale as a ghost. Hermione was clutching Ron's hand so tightly he was losing circulation. Harry just sat there, waiting for the inevitable.

"**Oh, no," said Ron. "Oh, no, oh, no, oh —" **

"I'm with you there, mate." said Dean, sending a sympathetic glance at Ron.

"**Shut up," said Harry frantically. "It'll hear you." **

"**Hear ****me****?" said Ron in an unnaturally high voice. **"**It's already heard Fang!" **

**The darkness seemed to be pressing on their eyeballs as they stood, terrified, waiting. **

People glanced at Harry and Ron curiously. There was that word again. Terrified.

**There was a strange rumbling noise and then silence. **

"**What d'you think it's doing?" said Harry. **

"**Probably getting ready to pounce," said Ron. **

"What was that about optimism?" asked Harry smugly.

"Shut up, Harry." said Ron.

**They waited, shivering, hardly daring to move. **

"**D'you think it's gone?" Harry whispered. **

"Could you be so lucky?" asked Katie Bell hopefully.

Nobody answered.

"**Dunno —" **

**Then, to their right, came a sudden blaze of light, so bright in the darkness that both of them flung up their hands to shield their eyes. Fang yelped and tried to run, but got lodged in a tangle of thorns and yelped even louder. **

"**Harry!" Ron shouted, his voice breaking with relief "Harry, it's our car!" **

Mr. Weasley perked up. "The car? My Ford Anglia? Is this what you were telling me about, Harry?" he asked.

Harry grinned at him, "Yeah."

"**What?" **

"**Come on!" **

**Harry blundered after Ron toward the light, stumbling and tripping, **

Harry suppressed any wince of pain as he felt a few scratches on his arms and legs appeared that were likely from thorn bushes.

**and a moment later they had emerged into a clearing. **

**Mr. Weasley's car was standing, empty, in the middle of a circle of thick trees under a roof of dense branches, its headlights ablaze. As Ron walked, open-mouthed, toward it, it moved slowly toward him, exactly like a large, turquoise dog greeting its owner. **

"**It's been here all the time!" said Ron delightedly, walking around the car. "Look at it. The forest's turned it wild…" **

"Arthur Weasley, what did you do to that car!" Mrs. Weasley snapped ferociously.

"Now, now, Molly dear, Dumbledore handles any punishments for things we learn in the books-

People couldn't help but laugh at this, and the desperation in Arthur's voice.

**The sides of the car were scratched and smeared with mud. **

**Apparently it had taken to trundling around the forest on its own. Fang didn't seem at all keen on it; he kept close to Harry, who could feel him quivering. His breathing slowing down again, Harry stuffed his wand back into his robes. **

Moody shook his head slowly, looking disappointed.

"I wouldn't worry about Harry if drawing his wand in time is the concern." someone from the D.A. said. "He's as quick as lightning with that thing!"

"**And we thought it was going to attack us!" said Ron, leaning against the car and patting it. **

A few people raised eyebrows.

**"I wondered where it had gone!" **

**Harry squinted around on the floodlit ground for signs of more spiders, but they had all scuttled away from the glare of the headlights. **

"**We've lost the trail," he said. "C'mon, let's go and find them." **

**Ron didn't speak. He didn't move. His eyes were fixed on a point some ten feet above the forest floor, right behind Harry. His face was livid with terror. **

Sirius grasped Harry's hand, suddenly needing to hold some part of his godson. The entire Hall tensed.

**Harry didn't even have time to turn around. **

Everyone looked worriedly at Harry.

**There was a loud clicking noise and suddenly he felt something long and hairy seize him around the middle and lift him off the ground, **

Harry felt the pressure around his midriff, but it wasn't painful, exactly... just uncomfortable, as if he had eaten far too much at the Christmas dinner feast.

**so that he was hanging facedown. **

**Struggling, terrified, **

There it was again. Terrified.

**he heard more clicking, and saw Ron's legs leave the ground, too, heard Fang whimpering and howling — next moment, he was being swept away into the dark trees. **

Mouths were hanging open in horror, but nobody seemed to be able to make a sound, fear clutching at their hearts.

**Head hanging, Harry saw that what had hold of him was marching on six immensely long, hairy legs, the front two clutching him tightly below a pair of shining black pincers. **

Any color whatsoever left in Remus' face vanished. "Acromantulas!" he cried in horror.

Mrs. Weasley was chewing her nails in worry. The teachers all looked like they were going to be sick. Two second year students. Forbidden Forest. Acromantulas. It was all too much.

**Behind him, he could hear another of the creatures, no doubt carrying Ron. **

There was suddenly a newfound respect for Ron as people realized that he was facing his worst fear when he was twelve years old to help a friend.

Sirius no longer wondered why spiders were Ron's boggart. It was no wonder, really, that he would be afraid of them when he had such a traumatizing experience with them. He suddenly realized that his boggart wouldn't be a small house spider, but a giant Acromantula.

**They were moving into the very heart of the forest. Harry could hear Fang fighting to free himself from a third monster, whining loudly, but Harry couldn't have yelled even if he had wanted to; he seemed to have left his voice back with the car in the clearing. **

People were trying to absorb this. Terrifying. That's what Harry said. He was terrified. This proved it. Maybe Ron was right. Maybe they hadn't been listening. They were beginning to realize that, despite having read about nearly two years of his life, they knew nothing about the mystery that was Harry Potter.

**He never knew how long he was in the creature's clutches; he only knew that the darkness suddenly lifted enough for him to see that the leaf-strewn ground was now swarming with spiders. **

**Craning his neck sideways, he realized that they had reached the ridge of a vast hollow, a hollow that had been cleared of trees, so that the stars shone brightly onto the worst scene he had ever laid eyes on. **

**Spiders. Not tiny spiders like those surging over the leaves below. Spiders the size of carthorses, eight-eyed, eight-legged, black, hairy, gigantic. **

There were muffled screams throughout the Hall.

Ron himself looked like he was going to faint, deep in the memory, Harry's amazing descriptions bringing everything back much more clearly than he had ever wanted to remember.

**The massive specimen that was carrying Harry made its way down the steep slope toward a misty, domed web in the very center of the hollow, while its fellows closed in all around it, clicking their pincers excitedly at the sight of its load. **

**Harry fell to the ground **

Hermione looked at Harry through narrow eyes, watching him for any sign of pain, but Harry held it back. The book hadn't said it hurt, so he could hide it if he was careful.

**on all fours as the spider released him. Ron and Fang thudded down next to him. Fang wasn't howling anymore, but cowering silently on the spot. **

**Ron looked exactly like Harry felt. His mouth was stretched wide in a kind of silent scream and his eyes were popping. **

Ron looked at Harry, confused. "If you felt like that, why didn't you look like that? You looked... you looked as if that sort of thing happened everyday... you didn't look frightened at all..."

Harry shrugged. He honestly didn't know.

**Harry suddenly realized that the spider that had dropped him was saying something. It had been hard to tell, because he clicked his pincers with every word he spoke. **

**Aragog!" it called. "Aragog!" **

"Merlin's beard!" Fred said weakly.

"Aragog isn't a person." said George in the same tone.

**And from the middle of the misty, domed web, a spider the size of a small elephant emerged, very slowly. There was gray in the black of his body and legs, and each of the eyes on his ugly, pincered head was milky white. He was blind. **

Needless to say, Hagrid was the only one smiling.

"**What is it?" he said, clicking his pincers rapidly. **

"**Men," clicked the spider who had caught Harry. **

McGonagall wiped a tear from her cheek. Not men. Boys. They were only twelve, for Merlin's sake!

"**Is it Hagrid?" said Aragog, moving closer, his eight milky eyes wandering vaguely. **

"Hagrid, if your spider friend does anything to harm my godson, I'm gonna... I'm gonna... do something you won't like!"

"Smooth, Sirius." Harry grinned.

"Don't you grin at me, you cheeky little monkey!" snapped Sirius. "Not when you're in mortal peril!"

Harry turned to Ron and mouthed 'cheeky little monkey'? Ron could only shrug.

"Aragog would never... he wouldn't..." stammered Hagrid, though he sounded slightly unsure.

**Strangers," clicked the spider who had brought Ron. **

"**Kill them," **

Hagrid looked troubled, but everyone else looked terrified.

**clicked Aragog fretfully. "I was sleeping…" **

"Sounds like when you wake Ron up before he's ready." said Fred.

Seamus, Dean, and Harry all snickered, being Ron's dorm mates they knew just how true that statement was.

"**We're friends of Hagrid's," Harry shouted. His heart seemed to have left his chest to pound in his throat. **

"That must be painful Harry." said Luna. "Do you feel it now?"

Harry grinned. "No, Luna, everything is-

"Fine." Ron and Hermione said at the same time, rolling their eyes.

**Click, click, click went the pincers of the spiders all around the hollow. Aragog paused. **

"**Hagrid has never sent men into our hollow before," he said slowly. **

"**Hagrid's in trouble," said Harry, breathing very fast. "That's why we've come." **

"**In trouble?" said the aged spider, and Harry thought he heard concern beneath the clicking pincers. **

A few people looked nervous. The fact that Hagrid is half giant had been revealed just last year from one of Rita Skeeter's articles. Here Hagrid was, making friends with Acromantulas.

"**But why has he sent you?" **

**Harry thought of getting to his feet but decided against it; he didn't think his legs would support him. **

"Terrifying." Luna repeated Harry from before.

A few people shifted uncomfortably.

**So he spoke from the ground, as calmly as he could. **

Ron shook his head in wonder. "I couldn't have spoken if I wanted to."

"It's your boggart though." said Harry, frowning. "It's not my worst fear, so of course I would keep my head better. You don't see me keeping my head like this when I'm around-

Hermione sent him a look to make him be quiet. Apparently Harry wasn't supposed to reveal that his boggart was a dementor. He stayed quiet. People looked at him confused, but he just looked away.

Remus nodded at Hermione. She had done the right thing.

**They think, up at the school, that Hagrid's been setting a — a — something on students. They've taken him to Azkaban." **

**Aragog clicked his pincers furiously, and all around the hollow the sound was echoed by the crowd of spiders; it was like applause, except applause didn't usually make Harry feel sick with fear. **

George started clapping, watching Harry closely.

Harry looked at him with his eyebrows raised.

Fred put his hands over George's so he would stop while shaking his head. "No good, George. He said it _doesn't_ make him sick with fear."

"**But that was years ago," said Aragog fretfully. "Years and years ago. I remember it well. That's why they made him leave the school. They believed that ****I ****was the monster that dwells in what they call the Chamber of Secrets. They thought that Hagrid had opened the Chamber and set me free." **

"Are you listening, Minister?" asked Harry loudly.

"**And you… you didn't come from the Chamber of Secrets?" said Harry, who could feel cold sweat on his forehead. **

"**I!" said Aragog, clicking angrily. **"**I was not born in the castle. I come from a distant land. A traveller gave me to Hagrid when I was an egg. Hagrid was only a boy, but he cared for me, hidden in a cupboard in the castle, feeding me on scraps from the table. Hagrid is my good friend, and a good man. When I was discovered, and blamed for the death of a girl, he protected me. I have lived here in the forest ever since, where Hagrid still visits me. He even found me a wife, Mosag, and you see how our family has grown, all through Hagrid's goodness…" **

"Goodness my arse." Ron whispered to Harry.

**Harry summoned what remained of his courage. **

Nobody could think of what to say to that.

"**So you never — never attacked anyone?" **

"**Never," croaked the old spider. "It would have been my instinct, but out of respect for Hagrid, I never harmed a human. **

Harry looked pointedly up at Fudge who looked very irritated indeed. "Yes... well..." he said, not sure of what he could say.

**The body of the girl who was killed was discovered in a bathroom. I never saw any part of the castle but the cupboard in which I grew up. Our kind like the dark and the quiet…" **

"**But then… Do you know what ****did ****kill that girl?" said Harry. "Because whatever it is, it's back and attacking people again —" **

**His words were drowned by a loud outbreak of clicking and the rustling of many long legs shifting angrily; large black shapes shifted all around him. **

"Careful, Harry." said Remus.

"**The thing that lives in the castle," said Aragog, "is an ancient creature we spiders fear above all others. Well do I remember how I pleaded with Hagrid to let me go, when I sensed the beast moving about the school." **

"**What is it?" said Harry urgently. **

All the students wanted to know the answer to that.

**More loud clicking, more rustling; the spiders seemed to be closing in. **

"Get out of there, Harry, Ron." muttered Sirius in worry. "Get out of there now!"

**We do not speak of it!" said Aragog fiercely. "We do not name it! I never even told Hagrid the name of that dread creature, though he asked me, many times." **

**Harry didn't want to press the subject, not with the spiders pressing closer on all sides. Aragog seemed to be tired of talking. He was backing slowly into his domed web, but his fellow spiders continued to inch slowly toward Harry and Ron. **

"You weren't hurt, were you?" asked Sirius desperately, eyeing his godson, all too aware that whatever happened in the book would happen to Harry yet again.

"I don't remember, honestly." said Harry, whose mind was hardly on the Acromantulas. He was thinking of the Basilisk.

"How can you not remember?" he asked in frustration.

"I have other things on my mind right now, Sirius." Harry said hotly.

Sirius paled. He knew what that must mean. "Harry." he growled, suddenly all the more serious. "What happens?"

Harry looked at him with wide eyes. He shot a glance at Ron and Hermione who were looking at him curiously before answering. "I-

"Don't you dare say nothing." said Sirius. "I can see it in your eyes."

Harry sighed. "You'll... you'll find out soon enough, okay?"

Harry's voice was so desperate and fearful that Sirius could not bear to press; but it made him so much more scared of what was to come. What could make Harry act like this?

"Will you at least warn me, before it happens?" he asked.

Harry thought about it. "Um... I... I'm not..." Harry looked away. He was shaking slightly.

"Harry," said Hermione, looking worriedly at him, "What aren't you telling us?"

"Yeah," said Ron, "What's up?"

Harry began breathing faster, so they decided to leave him alone. His reaction left them more shaken than they cared to admit though.

"**We'll just go, then," Harry called desperately to Aragog, hearing leaves rustling behind him. **

**Go?" said Aragog slowly. "I think not…" **

Sirius frowned.

"**But — but —" **

"**My sons and daughters do not harm Hagrid, on my command. But I cannot deny them fresh meat, when it wanders so willingly into our midst. Good-bye, friend of Hagrid." **

Hagrid looked nothing short of furious.

**Harry spun around. Feet away, towering above him, was a solid wall of spiders, clicking, their many eyes gleaming in their ugly black heads. **

"How on Earth did you two get out of this one?" asked Seamus in a timid voice.

Ron smiled at his father, who looked back confused.

**Even as he reached for his wand, Harry knew it was no good, there were too many of them, but as he tried to stand, ready to die fighting, **

The words 'ready to die' and 'terrified' reverberated in everyone's heads. There was no doubt about it now; Harry was the most brave person any of them had ever met.

**a loud, long note sounded, and a blaze of light flamed through the hollow. **

**Mr. Weasley's car was thundering down the slope, headlights glaring, its horn screeching, knocking spiders aside; several were thrown onto their backs, their endless legs waving in the air. **

Mrs. Weasley started crying. "Oh, Arthur! You saved them! That stupid car saved them!" she clutched her husband's arm as she sobbed into his sleeve. "That's what Ron meant! When he said we'd be glad he flew it to Hogwarts, that it was worth crashing it into the Willow- that's what he meant! It saved their lives!"

Arthur did not look smug. He didn't care that his wife was finally over the fact that he enchanted the car. He was just relieved, so immensely relieved, that he had done something to help his son and Harry get out of this alive.

**The car screeched to a halt in front of Harry and Ron and the doors flew open. **

"**Get Fang!" Harry yelled, **

"Thank ye, Harry." said Hagrid, sincerely, still horror struck that Aragog had allowed this. "Always thinkin' about others. Thank ye, Harry. Poor Fang wouldn't teh survived withou' ya."

Harry just smiled at him.

**diving into the front seat; Ron seized the boarhound around the middle and threw him, yelping, into the back of the car** **the doors slammed shut — Ron didn't touch the accelerator but the car didn't need him; the engine roared and they were off, hitting more spiders. They sped up the slope, out of the hollow, and they were soon crashing through the forest, branches whipping the windows as the car wound its way cleverly through the widest gaps, following a path it obviously knew. **

Mrs. Weasley was positively howling now.

**Harry looked sideways at Ron. His mouth was still open in the silent scream, but his eyes weren't popping anymore. "Are you okay?" **

"I wanted to hit you for that." said Ron, grinning now.

"Yeah, stupid question, I guess." Harry said.

**Ron stared straight ahead, unable to speak. **

**They smashed their way through the undergrowth, Fang howling loudly in the back seat, and Harry saw the side mirror snap off as they squeezed past a large oak. After ten noisy, rocky minutes, the trees thinned, and Harry could again see patches of sky. The car stopped so suddenly that they were nearly thrown into the windshield. They had reached the edge of the forest. Fang flung himself at the window in his anxiety to get out, and when Harry opened the door, he shot off through the trees to Hagrid's house, tail between his legs. **

**Harry got out too, and after a minute or so, Ron seemed to regain the feeling in his limbs and followed, still stiff-necked and staring. **

"That scarred me for life, that did." shuddered Ron.

**Harry gave the car a grateful pat as it reversed back into the forest and disappeared from view. **

"I wonder if it's still in there..." Mr. Weasley muttered to himself.

**Harry went back into Hagrid's cabin to get the Invisibility Cloak. Fang was trembling under a blanket in his basket. When Harry got outside again, he found Ron being violent sick in the pumpkin patch. **

"I don't blame you." a few people said.

"**Follow the spiders," said Ron weakly, wiping his mouth on his sleeve. "I'll never forgive Hagrid. We're lucky to be alive." **

Hagrid wilted from all the glares.

"I forgive you Hagrid!" Ron called out cheerfully.

Hagrid cheered up slightly.

"**I bet he thought Aragog wouldn't hurt friends of his," said Harry. **

"That's exactly what I thought." Hagrid mumbled.

"**That's exactly Hagrid's problem!" said Ron, thumping the wall of the cabin. "He always thinks monsters aren't as bad as they're made out, and look where it's got him! A cell in Azkaban!" **

"I haven't forgotten the Skrewts." Dean mumbled, quiet enough so Hagrid wouldn't hear.

**He was shivering uncontrollably now. "What was the point of sending us in there? What have we found out, I'd like to know?" **

"**That Hagrid never opened the Chamber of Secrets," said Harry, throwing the cloak over Ron and prodding him in the arm to make him walk. "He was innocent." **

**Ron gave a loud snort. Evidently, hatching Aragog in a cupboard wasn't his idea of being innocent. **

"I was traumatized, Hagrid. I wasn't in my right mind. I really do forgive you, you know." said Ron.

**As the castle loomed nearer Harry twitched the cloak to make sure their feet were hidden, then pushed the creaking front doors ajar. They walked carefully back across the entrance hall and up the marble staircase, holding their breath as they passed corridors where watchful sentries were walking. At last they reached the safety of the Gryffindor common room, where the fire had burned itself into glowing ash. **

Many sighed with relief. Finally. Back in the safety of Hogwarts.

Except Hogwarts wasn't safe anymore...

**They took off the cloak and climbed the winding stair to their dormitory. Ron fell onto his bed without bothering to get undressed. Harry, however, didn't feel very sleepy. He sat on the edge of his fourposter, thinking hard about everything Aragog had said. The creature that was lurking somewhere in the castle, he thought, sounded like a sort of monster Voldemort — even other monsters didn't want to name it. **

Ron and Hermione looked at Harry in shock at his reasoning. He had been right, sort of. It was a monster Voldemort- In fact, it was Voldemort's monster.

**But he and Ron were no closer to finding out what it was, or how it petrified its victims. Even Hagrid had never known what was in the Chamber of Secrets. Harry swung his legs up onto his bed and leaned back against his pillows, watching the moon glinting at him through the tower window. **

**He couldn't see what else they could do. They had hit dead ends everywhere. Riddle had caught the wrong person, the Heir of Slytherin had got off, and no one could tell whether it was the same person, or a different one, who had opened the Chamber this time. **

**There was nobody else to ask. Harry lay down, still thinking about what Aragog had said. He was becoming drowsy when what seemed like their very last hope occurred to him, and he suddenly sat bolt upright. **

"Uh oh." said Angelina. "Harry realized something."

**Ron," he hissed through the dark, "Ron —" Ron woke with a yelp like Fang's, stared wildly around, and saw Harry. **"**Ron — that girl who died. Aragog said she was found in a bathroom,"**

A few people gasped in realization.

**said Harry, ignoring Neville's snuffling snores from the corner. "What if she never left the bathroom? What if she's still there?" **

**Ron rubbed his eyes, frowning through the moonlight. And then he understood, too. "You **_**don't **_**think- not Moaning Myrtle?" **

"No way! All that time... all that time she was just there and anyone could have asked..." muttered some of the girls.

McGonagall looked very put out. If she had just gone to Myrtle, maybe two second year students wouldn't have had to risk their lives.

Sirius turned to Harry and whispered. "Now, what's got you all worked up?"

A/N: Review, please! ;)


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